The Christmas Angel
by Storywriter55
Summary: Liam's encounter with a stranger on Christmas Eve teaches him an important lesson and reminds him of what is really important. Part of the 'Milestones' series (24.9 years)
1. Chapter 1

**The Christmas Angel**

**Chapter 1**

_Saturday, December 22nd, 12:00 p.m._

'What about you?' Josh Monteith asked as he threw a pair of jeans into his back pack.

Liam sat on the edge of his bed, his elbows propped up on his knees. 'Where do I start… we've got so many holiday traditions, I couldn't even begin to tell you.'

'Like?'

'Well for one thing, my mom goes crazy buying gifts for everyone and she loves to decorate the house - well the inside anyway. My dad… he goes nuts on the outside. Every year, he competes in this neighbourhood home decorating contest, trying to outdo everyone on the street.'

'Oh yeah?'

'He and my uncle Moz are always on the lookout for unusual Christmas decorations so Dad can impress everyone. One year he decorated the whole house with a Santa at the beach theme.'

Josh moved over to his desk, grabbing a couple of textbooks and stuffing them into his bag. 'Does he ever win?'

Liam chuckled. 'Yeah he does, that's the problem. It eggs him on. He's so competitive, it's insane. Especially him and Jeff Mason, this neighbour up the street. One of them usually wins, everybody else just watches them go at it.'

'You know I never figured your dad for the competitive type, he's usually so chill.'

Liam's chuckle grew into an outright howl. 'He usually is but when it comes to stuff like this… believe me, he's plenty competitive. It drives my mom absolutely bonkers.'

He lay back on his bed, bringing his arms to rest behind his head. 'And ever since Hope and I were babies, my mom's given us a Christmas book each and every year. It's the only gift we're allowed to open on Christmas Eve. Everything else has to wait until Christmas morning. My folks always write us a little note inside with the date…'

His eyes grew dreamy as he imagined being home with his loved ones. 'My mom keeps all the books she's ever given us in a huge basket that she has all decorated up and every year she takes it out and puts it by the tree.'

'Christmas books?'

'Yeah, you know, picture books' Liam replied with a grin on his face.

'You're telling me your mother gives you a kid's book for Christmas every year?'

Liam sat up and frowned. 'What? It's a tradition. Hope and I pull out our favourites and read them over and over again.'

'If you say so' Josh said with a suppressed giggle. The thought of six foot two Liam Caffrey sitting by the tree reading 'The Night Before Christmas' was too strange to fathom.

'And my dad bakes until he's got flour coming out of his ears' Liam added.

Josh's face lit up. 'Is he going to make those brownies he brought the last time he came to visit?'

'Probably…'

'You don't suppose you can bring some back with you, huh?'

It was Liam's turn to chuckle. 'I'll see what I can do' he replied. 'So, what time's your bus?'

Josh glanced at his watch. 'I've still got a couple of hours. Want to grab a coffee in the commons before I leave?'

Liam was on his feet instantly. 'You know it!'

WCWCWC

_Saturday, 1:20 p.m._

A frustrated Neal tossed the half-empty box against the basement wall, hearing the sound of breaking glass as it landed with a thud.

'Shit!' he murmured under his breath.

Every year, when he put away the Christmas decorations, he promised himself he'd get better organized and label everything. As it was, things were packed willy nilly, indoor decorations, outdoor decorations, ornaments, lights. You practically had to go through every box to find what you were looking for.

'Where the hell are you?' he mumbled to himself as he cleared a path towards another stack of boxes which lay by the washer and dryer.

'Honey! Peter's here!' came Sara's voice from upstairs.

'Great' he grumbled as he kept poking around the boxes. 'I'll be right up!'

He could hear the rumble of Peter's deep voice from the kitchen as he and Sara chatted about the plans for Christmas dinner which was taking place at the Caffrey home this year. Peter and Elizabeth had hosted Thanksgiving and with the kids and now Cam joining the clan, it was easier all around to have Christmas dinner in White Plains.

'There you are you little buggers!' Neal exclaimed as he located a box loaded up with Christmas lights.

He pulled out a couple of strings of bright white ones and dragged them behind him, gathering them up as he stepped off the staircase and into the kitchen.

'Hey!' he called out to his best friend, trying to keep his frustration from showing.

'You know this might be the best display you've ever put on' Peter commented, pointing towards the front of the house.

Neal nodded and smiled, a forced smile. 'Yeah, well the contest ends tonight and it still doesn't feel right… something's missing.'

Sara rolled her eyes at Peter; it was like this every holiday season and she tried her best to stay out of it for her own sanity. Over the years, the competition had taken on gargantuan proportions for most of the men on the street - most notably for Neal and his buddy/nemesis Jeff Mason.

'I'm not happy with the lights on the new lilac bush. It looks naked' Neal complained.

'Neal, there's got to be five hundred lights out front already!' Peter said.

'Eight hundred and seventy-nine to be precise' Neal corrected as he began untangling the long string of lights.

Peter raised his arms in resignation but it didn't seem to deter Neal.

'It needs another three or four dozen to look decent. At least that many.'

He leaned down to plug in the string of lights and let out an expletive as they failed to come on.

'Damn it!'

Sara was doing her best to pretend to be busy, avoiding her husband's ire. At any other time, she might have reminded him that eight hundred and seventy-nine Christmas lights was about eight hundred too many but she managed to bite her tongue and stay out of the discussion.

'Now we've got to go down to the mall on the busiest shopping day of the year' Neal grumbled as he headed towards the front door to grab his coat.

'Oh no you don't' Peter complained. 'You asked me to come over and help you put up the lights. You didn't say anything about going to the mall.'

Neal ignored him, fixated on his immediate problem. The neighbourhood Christmas party was that night and it was his last chance to make any last minute adjustments if he wanted to bring home the 'big' prize, a relative term considering the trophy which was up for grabs was all of six inches high, a scratched up facsimile of Santa with one of his arms broken off. It had been purchased at least twenty years earlier at the local dollar store but that wasn't the point. The winner got to brag about his conquest until the holidays rolled around the following year and if there was one thing Neal Caffrey enjoyed more than anything else, it was gloating.

'Fine' Neal said defiantly. 'Don't come. But there's no way I'm giving in to Jeff Mason and his band of reindeer. I deserve to win and I'm going to do everything I can to make it happen.'

Sara turned away to keep Neal from seeing her mocking grin.

He stepped into his boots and gave one last glance in Peter's direction. 'So are you coming with me or not?' he asked impatiently.

Peter got to his feet and shrugged. 'Wait up!'

WCWCWC

_Saturday, 2:15 p.m._

With the holidays just around the corner, doctors offices were overflowing with patients who wanted every little tickle and cough looked at before their offices closed down for a few days. Dr. Joanne Cooper's waiting room was no exception. Cam and Hope sat, hand in hand, looking around the room at those assembled. The results of Hope's blood work were in and there was no way she and Cam would have the patience to wait until after the holidays. They were reasonably sure of the 'diagnosis', considering Hope was almost three weeks late with her period and had been fighting morning sickness for the last few days. But those home pregnancy tests were never one hundred percent reliable. She'd bought four different kinds and had tried them one after the other, barely managing to control her urine flow so she'd have enough to complete all four tests. If they were going to share the news with their loved ones, they wanted to make damn sure there was no mistake.

They were still newlyweds by anyone's standards, barely six months married and living in Cam's small apartment in Flushing. Hope was pretty well back on her feet following the accident she'd had almost five years earlier and they'd settled into their jobs at the Raphael, Cameron taking on more and more responsibility while his father-in-law concentrated on running the June Ellington School of Art in the Bronx. Unlike many couples their age, they did not have a three, five or ten year plan. Life had thrown them a curve ball at such a young age that both Cam and Hope had accepted that there was much in life they could not control. They tried every day to accept things as they were, to take the good with the bad and they'd decided to let life dictate when the time was right to start their family.

Apparently fate had decided the time had come.

WCWCWC

_Saturday, 2:30 p.m._

The two men hugged tightly, Liam whispering in Josh's ear. 'Merry Christmas man.'

Josh pulled away, patting his shoulder. 'You too, hope you make it home in time for Christmas Eve' he added as Liam nodded.

Liam watched his buddy amble towards the exit, balancing his heavy back pack on his shoulder. He glanced around the commons, the place where students congregated to have coffee while they chatted or studied. Except for about a half dozen students, the place was deserted and Liam felt a sudden sadness weighing him down. He should be on his way home to Cody, the aroma of home cooking and the sound of laughter echoing in his ears. But he still had one piece of business to attend to before he could get away.

Officially, the semester was over and all regularly scheduled exams had ended the previous day. The only people remaining on campus were a few sessional professors and students waiting to write their make up exams. On Monday morning, Christmas Eve, the cavernous university gym where Liam and his teammates played basketball for the Syracuse Orange would be transformed into a giant classroom with desks and chairs set up so that students doing re-writes could write their exams before heading home for the holidays.

Every semester, Syracuse University gave students who had not made it to their regularly scheduled exams a chance to make it up before closing down for two weeks. Whether they'd been sick in bed with a doctor's note at the time of their exam or were simply availing themselves of the opportunity to make up for a less than stellar grade, roughly two hundred or so of the several thousand students enrolled in the undergraduate programs were given one last chance at success.

In Liam's case, he'd been given special dispensation from one of his scheduled exams. As captain of the basketball team, he was often called on to meet with the coaching staff for strategy sessions and planning meetings and the previous week, he'd been kept from writing his final in macroeconomics as he and the coaches strategized for the big game against Cornell.

For all the good it had done. They'd gone down in flames in enemy territory.

Liam lumbered back to his dorm room, startled by the unsettling silence in the hallways of his residence. He waved at a girl he recognized from his English class; she was re-writing her exam considering her final mark of 57, just three points shy of a passing grade.

Once he got to his floor, he didn't see a single soul and he sighed, suddenly overcome with sadness. He hadn't seen Cody since Thanksgiving when he'd come to Syracuse for the weekend to catch one of Liam's games. Five weeks later, Liam couldn't wait to reunite with his boyfriend and spend time hanging out with his family, eating and drinking more than he should and catching up with his friends from home.

He stepped into his dorm room and looked around; the place was usually so full of life. It was where friends and teammates congregated and whenever Josh was around, there was never a shortage of fun and games. The roomies had plenty in common, including their taste in music, their love of sausage and pineapple pizza and, of course, the basketball team they both dedicated so much of their time to.

Liam closed the door behind him and walked over to Josh's desk, rifling through the CDs and choosing one from his roomie's collection. He popped it in and, letting Lizzo's rich voice wash over him, he kicked off his shoes and stretched out on his bed, staring mindlessly at the ceiling. Even though he'd talked to Cody earlier that morning, he had an overwhelming urge to hear his voice again. Pulling out his phone he dialled his boyfriend's number, the excitement he felt fading to disappointment as he heard the warm familiar voice of Cody Miller on his answering machine.

_'__Can't come to the phone. Leave me a message and I'll get back to you.'_

He thought about leaving a message but really, what was he going to say? _'I still miss you and I still love you. I should be back by mid-afternoon Monday - just like I told you this morning.'_

He decided to skip it - he was beginning to sound desperate and lovesick. Instead he dialled home, a smile crossing his lips as he heard his mom's voice come on the line.

'Hi Mom!' he chirped, trying to hide his sombre mood.

'Liam! Honey, what's wrong?'

He chuckled. It was just like her to worry. 'Nothing. Why would anything be wrong?'

Sara's voice grew more relaxed. 'Because you called yesterday and you usually only call once a week.'

'I guess… things are pretty quiet around here. Josh just left to go home and I'm feeling a little… What are you guys up to?'

'Your dad is out getting _more_ Christmas lights with your uncle Peter, Caitlin's upstairs and to tell you the truth I haven't talked to your sister today but I'm pretty sure she and Cam had some last minute shopping to do.'

'That's nice' Liam replied dreamily.

'Has anything changed? You still hoping to be on the noon bus on Monday?'

Liam smiled. 'Yeah! Try and stop me. Did you get our Christmas books?'

'Liam! Aren't you getting a little too old for a Christmas book?'

'What? You mean you didn't get them?'

'Of course I got them' she said with a chuckle. 'I just can't believe you guys still want them. Hope is a married woman for crying out loud.'

'What does that have to do with anything? It's tradition. You can't mess with tradition.'

There was a brief silence. 'You're not going to let the girls open them before I get there, are you?'

'What are you talking about? We don't open them until Christmas Eve. You'll be home by then.'

Liam nodded not that his mom could see.

'Did Dad make shortbread?'

Sara laughed. 'Seriously Liam, what is with you? Can you remember a single Christmas when your dad didn't make shortbread.'

Silence again as Liam smiled. It wasn't like him to go on about minute details.

'I know… it's just that… well, being far away from you guys just reminds me of how much I miss you.'

'I get it' she replied. 'There _will_ be Christmas books and shortbread, I promise. And if you're a good boy, a few extra things for you under the tree.'

'Oh Mom, I meant to ask you. Does Caitlin still like Billie Eilish? I was going to get her her latest album.'

'Think she might already have it. Let me check and I'll let you know.'

'Okay…' Liam said, apparently in no hurry to hang up.

'Honey, I don't mean to be rude but I've got to get going in a minute. I'm picking up your aunt Emily at the airport.'

'Oh… okay' he said, sadness returning to his voice.

'I'll tell your dad you called. You go ace that exam and get yourself home, okay? We can't wait to see you.'

'All right. Love you Mom.'

'Love you too sweetie.'

WCWCWC

_Saturday, 3:40 p.m._

'Neal, you've lived in that house for almost twenty-five years. What is it about this stupid contest that always gets you so… worked up?' Peter asked over the deafening throng of shoppers.

Neal stepped back trying to duck a woman's sharp elbow as they stood in line at the cash.

'I don't know… it's… it's fun' he admitted sheepishly. 'And who doesn't like to win?'

'I remember when you first moved into your house, you used to make fun of your new neighbours and their boring rituals.'

Neal shrugged. 'What can I say? It's a tradition. You know, people come from all over the tri-state area to see our Christmas displays.'

Peter nodded and muffled a snort. 'Is that right?'

At times, he still couldn't believe the suave conman he'd met all those years ago could get excited about such a humdrum ritual. He glanced at their brimming basket - the three dozen lights buried underneath a pile of ornaments and decorations Neal just couldn't resist. Peter sighed; perhaps his best friend's over the top enthusiasm for all things Christmas had more to do with having been deprived when he was a kid. How could he begrudge him such joy around the holidays?

Neal's eye caught a display of candy by the cash register and he began to load some into his basket. In his experience, you could never have too much candy in your Christmas stocking.

'I hope we're not forgetting anything' he mumbled. 'Tomorrow's going to be even crazier in the stores and they're calling for a major snowstorm early in the week. I don't want to leave things until Monday. It's bad enough I need to head out and pick up groceries.'

Peter seemed distracted by a display of scarves with matching gloves. He picked up a set and checked the price. Marked down half price - which would explain the ugly colours remaining.

'I wonder if El would like this?'

Neal took a step back so he could properly turn and face his best friend. He gave Peter a look of pure disdain.

'Put that down right now!' he ordered as his eyes widened.

'What? It's a nice… colour' Peter said defensively.

'It's made of phentex Peter. Phentex! You're going to give her a rash with that thing.'

Peter pouted and continued examining the lengthy scarf - lingering on the reduced price tag.

'Peter, _never_ give a woman a scarf that's not made of natural fibres. Have I not taught you anything? Jeesh! You're a grown man, how can you not know that?'

There was silence for a moment as the two men faced off. Peter was in no mood to be lectured by his best buddy - especially in such a condescending tone. In a moment of defiance, he rubbed the mitts and scarf against his cheek and hummed in satisfaction.

'I think I know my wife's tastes better than you do' he argued.

Neal shook his head in desperation and looked away. 'Well, don't come running to me when she ends up in the ER with hives.'

'Okay, '_Mr. I've got better taste than you_', what did you get _your _wife for Christmas?' Peter asked defiantly.

The line moved a few inches, the men sandwiched snuggly between the hoard of shoppers.

'I'm not telling you' Neal replied with a pout.

Peter laughed. 'Yeah, right. I'll bet your gift isn't all that great. You know you're not the only one who gets great gifts for his wife.'

He knew Neal could never pass up an opportunity to brag about what he considered to be his superior gift buying skills. His ego just wouldn't allow it.

'If you _must_ know, I got her a gold locket with an emerald inside. It's her favourite stone' Neal said smugly.

He seemed to hesitate before shooting one more arrow in Peter's direction. '…not something I picked up by the cash register at Target' he muttered.

Peter snorted before replying snidely. 'Right! Well, that's not going to keep her neck warm, is it?'

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

_Saturday, 2:00 p.m._

Hope and Cameron sat at a red light, staring ahead in silence. As much as the excitement and anticipation had been mounting all week, now that the news was official, it was as if they'd just walked straight into a brick wall.

'Wow!' Cameron said for the third time since they'd left Dr. Cooper's office.

'I know…' said an equally stunned Hope.

'Wow!' Cam repeated as he drove mindlessly through a familiar intersection.

'Babe, you forgot to turn' Hope commented as Cam snapped out of his daze.

'Shit' he murmured, turning onto the next cross street so he could double back.

'We're gonna need to get those little plastic plugs for electrical outlets' he said, his voice almost robotic.

'_That's_ what's got you worried?' Hope asked in disbelief. 'Plastic plugs?'

He gave his head a shake, trying to snap out of his trance.

Hope turned to face him in the car. 'What about the fact that our apartment is way too small, that we're going to have to learn to live on one income for awhile, that neither one of us knows the first thing about babies and…'

The car coughed loudly as Cam made another right turn.

'…and our car is falling apart' Hope added with a look of panic.

Cameron slipped into their parking spot behind the apartment building. The car let out another choking sound before stopping abruptly with a thud.

'What if it's twins?' he said, running his hand through his thick head of hair.

Despite the chill outside, she couldn't help but notice the shiny beads of sweat on his forehead. 'What are you talking about? Who said anything about twins.'

He shrugged. 'My mom once told me they run in our family.'

Hope looked at him, eyes wide. 'Would you please… don't we have enough to think about without imaginary twins.'

'I'm just saying…' Cameron said as he stepped out of the car and ran over to her side, opening the door for her - something he hadn't done since their very first date.

He reached in for her and she slapped his arm away. 'What are you doing? I'm not made of porcelain.'

He pointed to the building. 'I thought I'd… help you to the door' he yammered.

'Are you nuts? I'm pregnant, I'm not an invalid' she barked back, the words sticking in her throat.

'I'm pregnant…' she repeated, stunned at the sound of the words coming out of her mouth.

'You're pregnant!' Cam repeated, stopping suddenly. '_We're _pregnant!'

Suddenly all the tension seemed to melt away. Hope threw her arms around his neck, giggling madly.

'We're having a baby Cam!' she declared as he lifted her off the ground and began twirling her around and around.

'Everything okay you two?' called out old Mrs. Carlson who lived across the hall from them.

They immediately stopped squealing as if they'd been caught doing something wrong. Cam put his wife down on the snow covered asphalt, biting his tongue. Neither one of them wanted Mrs. Carlson to be the first to hear their big news.

'Fine' Cameron called out, bursting at the seams to shout the news off the first rooftop in sight.

Hope took his hand, guiding him towards their apartment building before he made any unplanned declarations.

'We… we just found out… some friends of ours are having a baby' Cameron stuttered, just in case she'd been eavesdropping - something Ms. Carlson was know to do on occasion.

'A baby…' the elderly lady said as she reached into her car trunk for a bag of groceries. 'That's always such happy news.'

'Here' Cameron said, stepping forward to give her a hand. 'Let me carry those up for you Mrs. Carlson.'

Hope looked at her husband with a fond smile. His willingness to help was one of the many reasons she loved him so, just one more reason why he was going to be such an amazing dad.

The trio walked together towards the building, Hope lacing her arm in Mrs. Carlson's to keep her from slipping on the ice.

'You two are such a lovely young couple' the woman said as she patted Hope's hand. 'You're going to make terrific parents someday.'

Cam stole a glance in his wife's direction and winked.

WCWCWC

_Saturday, 5:00 p.m._

Caitlin was taking advantage of her first day off school to wrap the last of her Christmas gifts. She'd commandeered the wrapping paper, bows, ribbons and tape and had locked herself in her room while the house was quiet. She was halfway done when there came a knock on her door, followed by Sara's voice.

'Caitlin? Can I come in?'

The young woman glanced around at the array of gifts littering her bed, making sure the pair of leather gloves she'd gotten her foster mother weren't on full display.

'Come on in' she called out as the door opened.

'Hey!' Sara said, stepping in and taking a seat on the bed. 'Ah, that's where all the wrapping paper went.'

Caitlin kept working, expertly wrapping a box in shiny gold paper. 'I'm just about done.'

Sara spotted a colourful ornament and held it up, watching it sparkle in the sunlit room.

'This is beautiful.'

'I got it for Mr. and Mrs. Burke. Do you think they'll like it?'

'They'll love it. Where did you get it?'

'There was a Christmas craft sale at Blue Skies…' the young woman said softly.

Sara leaned in to listen. The Blue Skies Nursing Home held a special place in Caitlin's heart. Not only had she worked in their day care centre, it was also where Linda Bennett had spent the last couple of years of her life. Neal's mom and Caitlin had grown closer than two souls could be and the woman's recent death had hit the young woman hard. This would be their first Christmas without her and Sara had been keeping a close eye on both Caitlin and Neal.

Caitlin peeked out from behind her blonde bangs. 'I miss her' she said softly.

Sara reached out, running her hand through her hair. 'I know honey, we all do.'

'I wish she was here. She'd be so glad I finally started school this year.'

'She knows… she's with us every day. You know, she loved you so much, she'd be very proud of you. Just like we are.'

Caitlin sniffled but continued wrapping, putting on an air of bravado.

'It's okay to be sad you know' Sara said, opening up her arms to her foster daughter.

'Sometimes I don't want to talk about her too much in front of Mr. C so I don't upset him' she said, suddenly buried in Sara's arms.

'You won't upset him. He thinks about her all the time' Sara replied, running her hand up and down Caitlin's back.

The young woman looked up at her foster mom, both sets of eyes wet.

There was nothing else to be said.

WCWCWC

_Saturday, 7:30 p.m._

'What about this?' Hope asked her husband as she pointed to a display of mugs.

He frowned as he picked one up and examined it. 'A little cheesy isn't it.'

'I guess… I just want to find a cute way of telling them.'

Cam continued to browse - as much as one can browse in the middle of a sea of shoppers two days before Christmas.

'Mom and Dad are going to be so excited' Hope said, continuing on her quest for the perfect gift.

'How about a t-shirt?' Cam asked, holding up matching Grandma and Grandpa t-shirts.

'I'm not sure my mom is ready to be called _grandma_ just yet' she said with a chuckle. 'We might have to ease her into it.'

Cameron gazed at his wife, his lips curled up in the smile he'd been wearing pretty well since their visit to Dr. Cooper's office. For the moment, they shared a secret, a secret that was all theirs. He felt his heart skip a beat at the realization and he leaned in to kiss her in the busy store seemingly unaware or perhaps not caring that there were hundreds of spectators nearby.

Their lips parted and they resumed their search for the perfect vehicle to deliver their big news with Cam lingering by a display of what appeared to be containers of Chinese food.

'What did you tell me once about your mom and dad and fortune cookies?' he asked holding up the box by its thin metal handle.

Hope took the square box from his hand and examined in. It was a perfect facsimile and if she didn't know better, she could almost smell the egg foo young.

Her face lit up as she recalled the story her dad repeated ad nauseum to anyone who would listen. 'My dad proposed to my mom with a note inside a fortune cookie' she said with a winsome smile.

He nodded, pleased with himself for remembering. 'See' he said, pointing to the instructions on the outside of the box. 'You can print any message you want inside and slip it into the fortune cookie. They won't see it coming!'

'Oh Cam, this is perfect. We can give it to them on Christmas Eve when Liam gets home. That way everybody can hear the news at the same time.'

Hope looked down at their shopping cart, brimming with last minute purchases and glanced around at the throng of shoppers lined up at the cash. By the look of things, they'd be standing around waiting for at least twenty minutes if not more. She wiggled her tired overheated feet inside her lined boots and sighed loudly. She looked up at her husband with dewy eyes.

'Here babe' Cam said, handing her the car keys. 'No sense in both of us standing around waiting. Why don't you go sit in the car and relax and I'll take this through the cash.'

'Really?' she said, batting her eyelashes sweetly.

He stared back at his pregnant wife with stars in his eyes, oblivious to having been played.

Hope made her way to the main doors. Maybe this pregnancy thing wouldn't be so bad after all.

WCWCWC

_Saturday, 8:00 p.m._

Saturday night on campus was the one night of the week the commons was busier than the library. Liam and his teammates had spent their fair share of Saturday nights on the road but on the few weekends they didn't have a game, he and Josh and the rest of their friends usually hung out in the shared spaces or in their dorm room with all the doors open while music blared and several kegs of beer were imbibed.

The previous year had been Liam's first at Syracuse and he'd headed home two days before Christmas, leaving with the majority of students. But this year…

He sat in his dorm room, soft music playing as he reviewed his class notes and sipped on a beer. His eyes glassed over as he reread the same pages over and over, unable to concentrate. Cody had called to check on him but now he wanted to hear his voice again.

He dialled his boyfriend's cellphone, immediately hearing the sounds of merriment in the background.

'Hey babe!' came Cody's voice as he ostensibly moved away from the hoots and hollers.

'You over at Ryan's place?' Liam asked, feeling blue.

'Yeah, I told you I was going to drop in to see some of the guys.'

'I know…'

'Hey come on, cheer up. One more day and then you'll be headed home. I'll pick you up at the bus station at four, just like we said.'

'I know…' Liam repeated, downtrodden.

'Will wants to know if we're going to his New Year's Eve party. I told him we wouldn't miss it.'

Liam nodded - not that Cody could see him.

'Yeah, yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing everybody.'

'And guess what?' Cody said, letting his voice drop to a mere murmur. 'My folks have decided to take a few days off to go skiing.'

Liam smiled. With both of them still living at home, it was sometimes difficult to get some alone time.

'We can have the place to ourselves, sleep in and… you know, _sleep in_.'

Liam chuckled. 'Yeah, that'll be really nice.'

The sound of voices grew louder in the background and Liam wished he could be there, sharing the evening with the guy he loved.

'Look, this is silly. I've got to get back to studying.'

'It's not silly' Cody said. 'I miss you too babe. I love you.'

Liam's throat grew tight. 'Love you too.'

He fell back on the bed and sighed. One more day of cramming then first thing Monday morning he'd write that exam in record time and be boarding the bus back to Westchester.

And he couldn't wait.

WCWCWC

_Saturday, 8:30 p.m._

Neal appeared in the doorway to his and Sara's bedroom, clad in a pair of dark dress pants and an open-collared shirt. His blue eyes shone with excitement.

'Babe, what in heaven's name is taking you so long?' he griped.

Sara sat at the small makeup table, touching up her lipstick in nothing but her slip. Normally, the sight of her skimpily clad would be enough for Neal to take notice but the prospect of becoming the street's newest champion made it impossible for him to focus on anything else - even his sexy wife.

She stood and lazily walked over to their bed where her little black dress lay waiting for her. She slowed as she walked past Neal, reaching for his belt buckle and giving it a firm tug in her direction - a means of distraction. She kissed him and watched him pull away.

'You know I hate being late' he lamented.

'And I hate being the first ones there' she replied, finally reaching for her dress.

'We won't be! I just saw Gene and Nancy cross the street and Jeff just texted to tell me to get my ass over there.'

Sara sighed. For the most part, she enjoyed the annual block party. It was a chance to get together with the neighbours and exchange holiday wishes with those who shared their quiet little street. The party rotated each year and with a good fifteen or so houses participating, each family hosted once in a blue moon. The Caffreys had hosted twice in the twenty plus years they'd lived in their house but tonight was Myrtle and Charlie Stevens' turn, their immediate neighbours to the left.

Except for the hard as rock fruitcake she always insisted on serving, Myrtle usually put on a good spread but it seemed no matter where they landed, the men always made it all about their ridiculous little competition. As judges of the contest, the women had the all important job of traipsing up and down the street to assess the entries based on the criteria developed by… wait for it… the _men _on the street.

The tradition had taken root long before the Caffreys had moved into their Prospect Park neighbourhood. The first Christmas after they'd moved in, Sara had actually had to coax Neal into taking part. He'd found the whole thing so… pedestrian, well beneath a sophisticated guy like him. But his competitive streak had gotten the best of him and before he knew it, he'd begun to look forward to the yearly event, planning his display months in advance and enlisting Mozzie's help to find new and unique items he could build his theme around.

Sara slipped into her dress and turned her back to her husband so he could zip her up. She lifted her hair and he leaned provocatively to whisper in her ear.

'You look amazing Repo' he murmured. 'Maybe I can help you get out of this little number when we get home… you know so we can celebrate my latest win.'

Sara rolled her eyes. 'So what makes you think you've got my vote anyway?'

Neal tapped his wife's bum playfully. 'I thought wives _had to _vote for their husbands' he smirked. 'You know, unconditional love and support and all that. Sort of like spousal privilege in a court of law…'

He brought his lips to rest on the back of her neck and placed a lingering kiss, trying to lock down her vote.

'Are you planning on using that technique to get votes from all the ladies at the party?'

He pumped his eyebrows and smiled naughtily.

She wouldn't put it past him.

WCWCWC

_Saturday, 9:30 p.m._

Sara laced her arm into Donna Mason's as they trudged down the street, trying to keep warm. It had been snowing softly all day and the dusting of snow covered their expensive leather boots causing them both to shiver.

When it came to the weather on the last Saturday before Christmas, it was always a crapshoot. But this wasn't their first rodeo and as wives of the two most_ enthusiastic_ competitors on the street, they had learned to grin and bear it. There was the year there'd been absolutely no snow on the ground and they'd paraded up and down the street in their spring jackets, the year they'd braved a blizzard, barely making out the Christmas lights through the eye of the storm and the memorable year it poured freezing rain as they skated down the street carrying umbrellas.

But best of all were nights like tonight, when the temperature hovered just under the freezing mark and big fat snowflakes fell gently, turning Meadowbrook Street into a magical wonderland. Meanwhile, through snow and sleet, the men sat inside, sipping hot toddies and waiting anxiously for the verdict as their wives traipsed through the neighbourhood judging their displays.

Patriarchy reigned supreme on Meadowbrook Street. At least this one night of the year.

'So how do you want to do it this time?' Sara asked her close friend and neighbour.

Exasperated by their husbands' over the top obsession with the contest, the two women had devised their own way of coping by having a little fun at their expense. Unbeknownst to their husbands who'd always assumed their wives would be loyal to them and only them, Donna and Sara plotted every year to have a little fun behind their backs. Some years, they would both vote for either Neal or Jeff, but most times, they didn't vote for either one of them. Of course, their lonely two votes didn't have much of an impact on the outcome but the fun was in trying to influence the other women to vote with them — which they managed to do quite successfully. It was their silent revenge for putting up with weeks on end of planning and bragging by the men they loved.

Donna got a twinkle in her eye. 'I figure we shouldn't vote for either one of them this year.'

She pointed down the street in the direction of the Powell house. Estelle Powell had passed away from cancer just three months earlier leaving her husband of forty-seven years alone and bereft. Although he'd always been a front runner in the annual contest, this year the man hadn't had the heart to do much more than slap on a couple of strings of lights around the trunk of the large oak tree in their front yard. He'd even made the effort of coming to the party, bringing along his guitar so he could lead the carolling.

Sara nodded at her friend's suggestion. 'I love it!' she said. 'That'll drive them both crazy. And it's a fitting tribute.'

Donna gestured towards a younger woman walking alone a few feet ahead of them - a newcomer to the street.

'She seems really nice' she said.

Jennifer and Rob Taylor along with their brood had moved in across the street from Neal and Sara's place a week before school had started in September but with her busy schedule, Sara hadn't done much more than wave whenever she spotted the couple from across the way. She'd gotten some intel from Caitlin who'd been called on to babysit for the couple on a few occasions. Sara had learned that the husband's high tech company had transferred him to New York from California and that they had five kids, all boys, including infant twins who'd been born shortly after they'd relocated. Another little nugget, according to Caitlin, was that Jennifer had once worked as a model and a flight attendant up until she and her husband had started their family. Now that Sara had gotten an up close look at the young woman she had no trouble believing the gossip she'd heard.

'Poor woman… we should really give her a hand' Sara said, holding up the very complex score sheet Neal and Jeff had prepared for the occasion. Whereas, in the past, wives had voted merely on instinct, they were now _required_ to score each display based on a slew of criteria including curb appeal, originality, use of colour and respect of the Christmas theme - among others.

The two women caught up to the newcomer, standing on either side of her and taking her by the arm.

'Hey Jennifer' Donna called out. 'Would you like some help?'

The newbie smiled, relaxing at the sight of them.

'I had no idea this whole decorating contest was so intense' she admitted. 'Rob seems to have fallen into some dark pit since Neal and Jeff talked him into taking part.'

Donna and Sara shared an amused smile.

'Welcome to the neighbourhood!' Sara said with just a touch of sarcasm. 'Just stick with us and you'll be fine.'

The trio made their way up the street past one brightly lit house after another. Donna slowed as they approached Mr. Powell's sad looking house.

'You know sometimes I think less is more' Sara offered, playing along.

Jennifer appeared puzzled by Sara's comment.

'I agree, simplicity is important' Donna nodded in agreement. 'Sometimes too much is just confusing.'

Jennifer Taylor took a step back and looked from Sara to Donna. 'O-kay… does someone want to tell me what's going on here?'

The two women grinned; seemed like they'd found a kindred spirit.

Sara leaned in to speak in the woman's ear. 'Can you keep a secret?'

WCWCWC

_Sunday, December 23rd, 1:10 a.m._

Mr. Powell won by a landslide and Neal and Jeff were once again relegated to second and third place respectively. They each received a certificate from Home Depot worth many times the Santa statuette they'd been lusting for - at least financially.

'How the hell did Ed Powell pull off a win?' Neal muttered as he and Sara prepared for bed. 'It was clearly the worst display on the street.'

Although he'd tried to put on a brave face at the party, he hadn't stopped moping about the outcome since the coveted trophy had been handed to the elderly man to the sound of cheers and applause. Mr. Powell had smiled self-deprecatingly, fully aware his win had been dictated by the compassion of his neighbours.

Neal leaned over and kissed his wife on the cheek. 'At least I know I can always count on _you_ to vote for me.'

'Seriously?' she replied with a look of reproach.

'What?' Neal replied with a frown. 'What's wrong with wanting to have the best decorated house on the street?'

She continued to stare at him while she reached back to tug on the zipper of her dress, waiting for him to come to the conclusion that was as plain as the nose on his face.

When he didn't, she decided to give him a nudge in the right direction. 'Honey, what was the last funeral we went to?'

Neal mindlessly stood behind her and started on her zipper, watching distractedly as her bare shoulders appeared. His mom's funeral had been in the spring and for a moment there he didn't know what she was getting at.

'What does that have to do with any—'

He stopped abruptly. 'Oh shit! I never thought of that.'

She turned to face him, eyebrows raised. Neal's arms fell as if the air had been let out of a balloon.

He sighed. 'I'm a horrible human being' he murmured as the realization dawned on him.

Sara reached for him, caressing his cheek. 'No you're not. You're just a little… intense and fixated at this time of year.'

He let himself fall on the edge of the bed and reached down to remove his socks. Sara could see the regret in his eyes, regret at being so focussed on himself and his silly display that he had forgotten all about their neighbour's recent loss.

She stood in front of him barefoot in nothing but her bra and panties and bit her lower lip provocatively. Neal leaned back to get a better view and watched as she climbed up onto his lap, straddling him. His face relaxed but a frown remained on his forehead.

'I guess I _do _get carried away, don't I?'

'That's not always a bad thing…' she said suggestively as she ran her hands through his hair, waiting to make sure she had his full attention - which didn't take long.

'I know but…'

'Neal…' she purred, fidgeting on his lap. 'Just shut up and stop whining about not winning! I happen to have a consolation prize for you.'

His scowl turned into a gentle smile as he felt his body stir. 'A consolation prize, huh?'

She nodded. 'But you have to unwrap it first. Very, very slowly.'

'Unwrap it?' he replied naughtily as his fingers reached for her bra strap and let it slip off her shoulder, revealing her ivory skin and the soft swelling at the top her breasts. He brought his lips to rest on her collar bone and let his tongue linger there for a moment.

'Consolation prize is good' he said throatily. '…almost as good as first place.'

Sara feigned exasperation and made a move to pull away. 'Why you little rat!' she exclaimed with an exaggerated pout.

He grinned, his eyes bright with mischief. Sara struggled not terribly convincingly to get out of his grasp but Neal was having none of it. He held her tight, falling back onto the bed and taking her along for the ride.

'Oh no you don't' he said, his lips beginning to roam against her skin as he pinned her down. 'You promised me a consolation prize… and as you can see, I need consoling… lots and lots of consoling. I'm a… broken man.'

She giggled, giving in to his insistent tugs.

Neal's eyes twinkled, his body responding to hers. 'Now lie still so I can finish unwrapping my present.'

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

_Sunday, December 23rd, 9:00 a.m._

'Oh and don't forget chestnuts. Cam loves those… don't ask me why' Sara said as she stood hovering behind Neal at the kitchen table.

She'd lingered in bed after he'd gotten up, catching a few extra zzzs while he'd come down to get started on the grocery list for the big Christmas feast. He was wearing an old sweatshirt of his and a pair of faded jeans. Had he even had time to shower? If he had, she hadn't heard him.

Except for the two of them, the house was quiet. Caitlin was up in her room and Emily who was holed up on the third floor was in the shower if the sound of clanging pipes were any indication.

'Can you check and see if we have any walnuts, I want to make brownies.'

Sara made her way to the cupboard where they kept all their spices and baking ingredients. 'Nope, but we've got a bag of pecans.'

'That'll do' Neal declared.

She returned to his side, double checking his list. The gentle scent of lavender tickled Neal's nose and he glanced over his shoulder at his wife of twenty-four years. With her ratty robe pulled around her and her bed head, she looked nothing like the temptress he'd tangled with in bed the night before and yet he fought the urge to pull her onto his lap and have his way with her.

'You know I _really_ liked your present last night' he said instead, his voice rough.

She gave him a playful slap on the shoulder and headed over to the coffee pot, pouring herself a mugful. Sometimes he couldn't believe she was all those women wrapped into one - the earnest, serious insurance investigator, the loving, caring wife and mother and the hot little vixen who sometimes made an appearance between the sheets. Oh, the Caffreys had plenty of vanilla sex what with their busy lives and all but sometimes she would surprise him by morphing into a seductive mistress with the energy (and the nimbleness) of a woman half her age.

His eyes lingered on her for a moment longer, recalling those daring little manoeuvres of hers and wondering where she'd picked those up. It didn't matter, he was grateful she'd managed to change his gloomy mood. Hell, she'd practically worn him out.

'You know honey' she said, returning to her role as dutiful wife. 'I was thinking of poor Mr. Powell. What was it he'd gone gaga over when we hosted three years ago? Was it your salmon dip?'

'The artichoke dip' he corrected as he pulled his eyes away from her swaying hips and returned to the task at hand. 'And it was _four _years ago.'

Sara nodded; she'd never challenge him on details. The man had the best memory of anyone she'd ever known — possibly due to his previous occupation.

'I was thinking maybe you could make him a batch and I could take it over to him.'

Neal nodded absentmindedly. 'That's a great idea.'

He frowned and looked up. 'Do you know if his daughter is coming to visit for the holidays?'

'He said last night that she was in Florida until New Years' Sara said just as Emily Ellis-Foster appeared, fully dressed and looking as fresh as a daisy.

'Hey you two!' she called out. 'Did you have fun last night?'

Neal and Sara exchanged embarrassed looks before realizing she was referring to the party - at least they hoped she was. They replied in tandem, trying to keep from giggling.

'Yeah, yeah…it was lots of fun.'

'Well, I must have been exhausted because I didn't even hear you come in' Emily said, reaching for the cup of coffee her baby sister was handing her.

Neal pretended to be engrossed in his list. To be honest, he'd all but forgotten she was up in Hope's old room, right above their heads while they were practicing their special brand of gymnastics. Apparently, his amazing memory did not extend to those situations when he was under the spell of Sara Ellis and her feminine wiles.

He cleared his throat. 'Is there anything in particular you want from the grocery store?' he asked. 'I'm heading out in a minute.'

'So early?' she said, shaking her head no.

'I want to get it over with' Neal said, getting to his feet. 'I am _not_ going grocery shopping on Christmas Eve so speak up or forever hold your peace. Besides, I only have today and tomorrow to get all the cooking and baking done.'

He moved towards Sara and wrapped his arms around her waist, turning away from Emily so he could have a private moment. He looked her wife straight in the eye and still riding on the fumes from the night before, he gave her a flirtatious smile and a wink.

'I won't be long' he said.

'Em and I might be gone by the time you get back. We're going to the mall.'

Neal tucked his grocery list into his jeans pocket and headed towards the front door.

'Again!' he cried out over his shoulder. 'You two are suckers for punishment.'

'Don't forget Hope's dropping by later' Sara reminded him as he opened the front door.

'Right!' came his reply.

WCWCWC

_Sunday, 10:00 a.m._

The shopping mall was a zoo when the women arrived shortly after ten o'clock. It took them almost fifteen minutes to find a parking spot and when they finally did, Sara drove in without hesitation, unknowingly cutting off some car that had been waiting patiently for the spot to open up. The man leaned on his horn and waved a fist at her.

'What's with _him_?' she said to herself, oblivious to her own rudeness.

Emily remained quiet; she knew better than to comment on her sister's lack of driving etiquette. The women headed inside, immersed in the spirit of the holidays and surrounded by the frustration of last minute shoppers. Sara only had a few last minute things to get for the kids' Christmas stockings and there was one last thing she wanted to get for Neal.

'You know… I lied earlier' Emily said as they navigated the crowded mall.

'What do you mean?'

'I mean I wasn't asleep when you got home last night.'

Sara pretended not to know what her sister meant. 'Oh no?' she said cooly.

Emily leaned in to speak in Sara's ear. She was having to practically shout to be heard in the bustling crowd. 'Do you two always go at it like a couple of rabbits?'

Sara chuckled and felt her cheeks growing red. 'Oops! To be honest, we kind of forgot we weren't alone.'

Emily raised her eyebrows. 'Well you make a good case for long happy marriages, I'll tell you that.'

'Believe me, it was a one off. Neal needed a little cheering up.'

'He sounded plenty cheery from what I heard' Emily replied with a naughty grin.

Sara rolled her eyes and blushed.

'Come on' she said, grabbing her sister's arm and pulling her into a nearby store. 'I need to go in here.'

WCWCWC

_Sunday,11:00 a.m._

Liam slept in on Sunday morning, more out of boredom than fatigue. He'd done so much studying, he'd actually dreamed that a giant textbook was chasing him down the hall of his dorm.

When he came to, his phone was ringing and he promptly grabbed for it, eager for human contact. Any kind of human contact.

'Hey squirt!' came his sister's voice.

'Hey!' Liam replied with glee.

'Am I interrupting your studying?'

'Are you kidding? I'm so ready for this exam I could probably write it in my sleep.'

'So what time are you getting here tomorrow?'

Liam sighed. 'As soon as humanly possible. My exam is at eight so I should be out of here no later than eleven. My bus leaves at noon. Who in the hell schedules a make-up exam on Christmas Eve anyway?' he added bitterly.

'Do you want Cam and I to pick you up?'

'Cody's meeting me at the bus terminal when I get in.'

'Of course he is' Hope giggled.

'I can't wait to get home sis. It's hell hanging out around here when it's so damn quiet. I don't know how I'm going to get through today.'

'Don't you have a good book to read? What about bingeing a show on Netflix? Cam and I just caught up on the last season of _Stranger Things_. It was so good, the kids —'

'Lalalalalala' Liam cried out just like he used to do when he was little and didn't want Hope to ruin a surprise.

'Fine, I won't tell you' she replied snidely. He could imagine her pouting from across the miles.

'So, is Dad going crazy with last minute stuff?' he asked.

'Probably… I haven't been over there yet today. I'm headed over in a while.'

'What have you and Cam been up to? Are you working today?'

'Not a chance' she replied. 'We've got temps filling in until after New Years. We've just been hanging out, you know… doing some shopping, had to go to the doctor —.'

She stopped suddenly and physically bit her tongue.

'Why? What's wrong? Why'd you go to the doctor?' Liam asked.

'N-n-nothing.'

Liam knew his sister better than anyone and stuttering was her tell whenever something was bothering her - especially since her accident.

'You're lying' he said accusingly. 'What's wrong?'

There was silence.

'Hope, what is it you're not telling me. Is there something wrong with you? Or Cam?'

'No, I swear. There's absolutely nothing wrong' she said, excitement growing in her voice.

'People don't go to the doctors to get good news' he began. 'Unless…'

More silence.

'No! You're not!' he finally said with a shriek.

'Liam Caffrey! If you say a word, I swear to God I'll… I'll… I don't know what I'll do but it won't be pretty.'

'Oh my God. I can't believe it! Have you told Mom and Dad?'

'No, we wanted to surprise everyone tomorrow night… once you get home.'

'Wow! I'm going to be an uncle!'

'Shut up Liam. We want to be the ones to tell Mom and Dad.'

'My lips are sealed' he said, speaking through tightly closed lips.

'They better be.'

'Wow…' he said again. 'Mom and Dad are going to freak out.'

'Let's hope it's in a good way. Somehow, I can't imagine Mom being happy about becoming a grandmother.'

Liam tsked. 'Of course she will. She might insist the baby call her Sara but she's going to be thrilled. And Dad… this kid's going to be so spoiled.'

Hope laughed, relieved to be sharing her secret with someone.

'Is it a boy or a girl?'

'What?'

'Are you having a boy or a girl?' Liam repeated.

'I'm only about six weeks along. We're not going to find that out for another ten weeks or so' she explained.

'I say girl' Liam said his voice light.

'Stop it! I mean it Liam. Don't let the secret out until we're all together. Cam is going to kill me as it is.'

She felt movement behind her and glanced over her shoulder at her baby daddy standing there, glaring at her with his arms crossed.

'Liam? I gotta go.'

WCWCWC

Sunday, December twenty-third turned out to be the longest day of young Liam Caffrey's life. He was all studied out and bored out of his mind. He spent the day listening to music, playing video games and napping in order to pass the time.

By early evening, he was running out of options so he decided to take Hope's advice and browse through Netflix to see what he could find. It didn't take long to come across the very show his sister had been raving about. He and Cody had gotten hooked when they'd watched it together the previous summer and they'd pledged to wait and watch the next season together when Liam came home for the holidays.

He let his cursor lazily move around the screen and the trailer came on, captivating his attention. He glanced around the room as if someone might be watching him; Cody would never know if he just watched the first episode. He walked over to the fridge to grab the last beer and settled on his bed to watch.

By midnight, he was watching episode five and was showing no signs of slowing down. He was bright eyed and bushy tailed thanks to the long nap he'd had that afternoon. One episode followed the next until, to his surprise, he found himself watching the season finale and wondering how the hell that had happened.

A quick glance at his phone left him slack jawed. It was almost five in the morning. Considering he wanted to get to the athletic complex a good half hour before his exam, was there really any point in sleeping at all? He jumped out of bed and straight into the shower, planning to stay awake - he could always sleep on the four hour ride home.

He could hear the wind howling, rattling the window and he took a quick glance outside. Snow covered walking paths and roads and off in the distance, he saw a dozen or so snow covered bumps where cars had been hours before.

The hot shower did nothing but relax him so he returned to bed, slipping under the blankets, putting on his earbuds and letting soft music wash over him. His mind wandered from Hope's big news to the intricate links between the financial market and the commodity market to the sweet taste of his dad's shortbread and the bright lights on the family Christmas tree. His eyes grew weary and he let himself relax into the subpar mattress.

Despite his best intentions, he fell into a deep sleep that would only be interrupted when his phone chirped three hours later.

WCWCWC

_Monday, December 24th, 5:30 a.m._

Right around the time Liam Caffrey finally nodded off on his lumpy mattress in Syracuse, Cameron Armstrong was turning over in the bed he shared with his wife. He was surprised he hadn't woken her considering he'd been tossing and turning for the past hour. What had been such wonderful news just two days ago had now taken him down a rabbit hole of questions and worries.

Some silly and unfounded, others all too real.

Would they have enough money to afford a bigger place? Was Hope ready to face this new phase of her life? What if something happened to the baby? What if something happened to Hope? How exactly do you burp a baby? How much of an allowance should you give an eight-year-old? And what do you do when your teenager looks you straight in the eye and defies your authority?

His bride of seven months was a strong, resilient young woman who'd overcome months and years of hardship to get where she was but it hadn't always been smooth sailing. During her five month hospital stay, Cam had been determined to keep his fiancée's spirits up. He'd kept up his job at the gallery, spending every evening with her and reminding her on a daily basis that she was getting better and that, together, they would come out the other side even stronger than before.

What Hope didn't know was that he'd come home late at night after tucking her into her hospital bed and he would cry himself to sleep. The brilliant, accomplished woman he'd fallen in love with had been all but annihilated. And not just her body but her soul, her confidence, her zest for life, her innocence. When Hope finally came out of hospital, there'd been a short period of relief and optimism but before long she'd begun to grow discouraged and eventually, depressed. Life as she'd known it before was no longer. It now consisted of endless speech therapy sessions, arduous physical rehab and most of all, the realization that many of her dreams had gone up in smoke.

Her previous love affair with painting had dulled, her works dark and lifeless and most of all, she had to live with the knowledge that she would not be returning to finish her degree at Carnegie Mellon, something that had given her such hope for the future. She grieved while she healed, finding solace in Cam's love and devotion and the support of her family.

Meanwhile, Cam had never once thought of leaving. Underneath that frail, broken body and disheartened spirit hid Hope Ellis-Caffrey, the giddy teenage girl he'd met at her dad's gallery all those years ago, the young woman who laughed easily, loved freely and brought joy to his life every single day. She was in there, underneath the healing bones and the hesitant speech. He wanted her back and he wasn't about to give up.

He turned to look at her in the darkened bedroom. She had come such a long way, rebuilding her life, finding meaning in everyday things, rediscovering the joy of their life as a couple. Sure, there were still remnants of those horrible months. She still saw her speech therapist regularly and if you looked really carefully you could pick up on a slight limp when she walked. There were scars, many scars but Hope had finally made peace with the slight changes to her appearance. He still shivered when he thought of how close he'd come to losing her, grateful every day that she'd come back to him.

'You awake?' he heard her whisper.

'Uh huh.'

'I can hardly wait until tonight' she said, her voice delirious with excitement. 'Everybody's going to be so happy for us.'

He heard the elation in her voice and the worries and fears began to melt away. They were off on this wonderful adventure together and as always, they would support each other when things got scary.

'You're not sorry this happened, are you?' she murmured, sensing tension in his body.

Cam felt his shoulders relax as he caressed her thick unruly hair. 'Are you kidding?'

He tucked her into the crook of his arm, the warmth of her body providing the reassurance he craved. They'd figure things out.

Together.

WCWCWC

_Monday, Christmas Eve 8:37 a.m._

Neal stood barefoot in the kitchen in his pyjama bottoms and wife beater, typing away on his phone.

_'__Can't wait to see you buddy! Call when you're ready to leave.'_

He looked up in response to the footsteps coming down the stairs: his wife wrapped in her chenille bathrobe.

'Wow!' she said, checking out the kitchen island overflowing with food and baking ingredients.

'Thought I'd get an early start. Everyone will be descending on this place by late afternoon.'

Everyone, in this case, was the extended Caffrey family: Hope and Cam, Liam, Caitlin, Emily, Mozzie, Cody and his folks, Peter and Elizabeth and whoever else might happen by on Christmas Eve wanting to be fed. Raffie who'd abandoned his usual napping spot in the family room and settled under the kitchen table came out of his hiding place and sniffed his mistress who gave him a dismissive pat on the head.

'So, you're okay with keeping it simple tonight?' Neal asked his wife.

She walked over and placed a peck on his cheek. 'I think Mexican is perfect for Christmas Eve. Besides, Liam asked if you could make chili while he was here. Plenty of time for a big traditional dinner tomorrow night.'

The wind flared up and Neal's attention was drawn to the back yard where snow had begun to accumulate at an alarming rate. He felt uneasy. They were calling for the storm to intensify over the next twenty-four hours and the family still wasn't complete.

'I'm worried about him' he admitted sheepishly. 'I hope there won't be any delays with the buses' he added. 'This storm is turning out to be worse than they'd predicted.'

Sara nodded, trying to remain upbeat. They had an unspoken rule in their marriage; when it came to their kids, they weren't allowed to both be worried at the same time - or more precisely, they weren't allowed to _show_ they were worried at the same time.

She noticed the computer open on the table and walked over to check it out. Neal had left it open on the weather page.

'It's even worse up in Syracuse if you can believe it' he said. 'It started around dinner time yesterday and hasn't let up. Weather service says they might have to close some secondary roads because it's coming down so fast, they can't keep up.'

'But the highways will be well maintained' she reminded him, trying hard not to let worry creep into her voice.

Neal shrugged. 'I suppose. I just can't wait for everybody to be under one roof.'

Sara walked over to where he stood and ran her hand down his back. 'He'll make it home, you'll see' she said, playing her role of cheerleader to perfection.

Neal shook off the worry and continued working. He reached for a loaf of bread and began cutting it up into cubes. Sara recognized her chicken scratch on the recipe he'd set up against the backsplash.

'You're making my mom's recipe' she said, her voice quiet. She and Emily had done their best to recall how their mother made her signature stuffing all those years ago and Neal had agreed to try to reproduce it as best he could. Sadly, there had never been turkey and stuffing in the Bennett home when he was growing up.

Sara recognized the far away look in his eyes as he worked.

'I know how much you miss her' she murmured, rubbing his back. 'I do too.'

He stopped what he was doing and turned to face her as Sara slipped her arms around his waist and let her head rest against his chest. Neal felt his heart skip a beat.

'I know I don't have any right to complain when I'm the one who pushed her away all those years' he said, his voice strangled. 'But I wish she was here with us this Christmas.'

'Think of the last few Christmases and how lucky we were to have her with us' she reminded him.

He nodded and squeezed his wife tighter. 'I know…' he whispered. She could hear the trembling in his voice; she knew there was nothing she could do to make the sadness any less.

Caitlin appeared, sensing the tension and she walked over to stand next to her foster parents. Neal opened his arms and suddenly he was holding both women against him.

'We're just remembering Grandma' Sara said when she saw the look of confusion in Caitlin's eyes.

There was some sniffling although it was impossible to know from who - perhaps all three of them.

They stood in a tight embrace, holding each other in the quiet kitchen.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

_Christmas Eve, 8:37 a.m._

His phone pinged, notifying him of an incoming text and Liam peeked out from underneath the covers to see what was up. For a moment, he wasn't sure where he was or what day it was. By instinct, he reached for the phone, forcing one eye open and noticing a text from his dad.

_'__Call when you're ready to leave'_ it read.

He scratched his head, still groggy and sat up. Leave for where? Reality sunk in and he was up like a shot, checking the time.

8:37! 8 fucking 37!

He hadn't expected to fall asleep and hadn't bothered to set an alarm. Instantly, he was on his feet, running around like the proverbial chicken with his head cut off. He began to reach for some clothes, any clothes. His hair stood on end like dirty blond spikes and he could taste the stale beer on his breath. His exam had started at eight sharp and he still had to run across campus to get to the gym. He ran around the room like a crazy man, trying to figure out what he needed to bring with him: his student ID… what else? His backpack. Everything should be in his backpack.

He slipped on his trainers and grabbed for his jacket before running out of the room and making a mad dash down the hallway towards the main door of his residence. The wind practically knocked him off his feet as he opened the door and took a step outside, watching in shock as his feet disappeared in two feet deep of the white stuff. He was covered up to the top of his knees and he blinked, totally disoriented by the brightness of the blowing snow.

The sidewalk and road that had been there the night before were nowhere to be found and he could barely make anything out past the length of his arm. He pushed ahead. There was no time to lose.

His breathing faltered; partly panic at being an hour late for his exam, partly from the gale force winds blowing in his face and impeding his breathing. Reaching into his coat pocket, he realized he had neither a pair of gloves nor a hat so he pulled up the hood of his parka and fastened it tight in an attempt to keep the wind from blowing it off. He could feel his heart thumping loudly in his chest as he kept moving - a wanderer without a clear path to follow.

He began in the general direction of the gym, searching for the usual landmarks but finding none. The buildings were obscured by the white out conditions. The familiar path to the gym where he'd spent hundreds of hours since his arrival in Syracuse was nowhere to be seen and he struggled to orient himself, practically walking into the door to the library before realizing where he was. The deep snow made the walk treacherous and his feet clad in nothing but sneakers began to scream for attention. The wind was making his breathing painful and he turned his back against it in an effort to keep moving forward.

It took him a good ten minutes to arrive at the main door of the athletic complex and he stepped in, trying desperately to catch his breath. The bottom of his jeans were coated in snow and Liam did his best to shake it off, leaving a crust of the white stuff from his thighs down to his freezing feet.

The sight of the vending machines in the lobby triggered something in the back of his mind. He hadn't eaten anything which would explain why he was starting to feel a little shaky and lightheaded. His heart pounded and he noticed the sweat dripping from the back of his head - never good signs for a diabetic such as himself.

Ripping off his coat, he reached into his bag for the glucometer he always kept there and did a quick read of his blood sugar. He watched in horror as he registered 3.9 on the screen; he needed to get something in his stomach pronto or he'd be landing face down on his exam paper before he even got started. Despite his tardiness, he searched the bottom of his bag, coming up with some loose change and praying he had enough for some orange juice to get him back into what his mom called the green zone.

The space around him was deathly quiet and after making his purchase, he collected his things and ran towards the gym. An exam proctor sat outside the door, surprised to see the latecomer arriving out of breath.

'I'm sorry' Liam said, struggling to get a word out. 'I… I'm late.'

'Yes you are' said the stern looking woman. She reminded him of Miss Myerson, the librarian from White Plains Middle School with the tightly wound bun on top of her head, her pursed lips and cat woman glasses hanging from a string around her neck. Except that Miss Myerson always had a smile on her face. This woman did not seem amused and she looked him up and down with skepticism. He must have looked a sight with his hair askew, the look of terror on his face and the smell of booze on his breath.

Her mouth grew tight, communicating her lack of empathy. 'Name' she said dryly.

'Liam Caffrey. I'm writing second year macroeconomics, professor Snyder.'

She pinched her lips even tighter and checked the list for his name. She took the student ID card he flashed and he watched as she placed a checkmark next to his name.

'You know you don't get extra time. This exam was scheduled to start at eight o'clock. You need to turn it in by eleven at the latest.'

He nodded, panic setting in. He took another sip of juice and let out a loud sigh.

'You can't bring anything in there but a pen and your student ID' she said sternly as she eyed the beverage.

'I'm… I'm diabetic' he said pulling out the doctor's letter he always carried with him. I just checked my blood sugar and it's too low. If I don't get it stabilized I might pass out' he explained.

Ms Librarian brought her glasses to the tip of her nose and stared back at him through the lenses.

'I need to check my blood sugar in another fifteen minutes and if my sugar levels aren't back to normal, I'll have to drink a bit more juice' he said, holding up the half empty bottle in his hand.

She sighed loudly, not bothering to cover up her annoyance. Undergraduates were such a pain in the ass, always partying and expecting everyone to bend over backwards for them. She looked over the document Liam had handed her and nodded with a tsk.

'You'll need a pen' she said tersely.

Liam nodded, relieved, and began to search his bag for his special pen - the one his parents had given him for high school graduation. It was his 'magic' pen, the one he always used to make study notes and write his exams. It had always been his lucky pen and since arriving at Syracuse U, he'd never used anything else to write his tests. Suddenly, he flashed to the image of the pen lying on his bed next to his study notes as another surge of panic bolted through his body.

She glared at him and handed him a pen. 'You can use this' she said. 'I want it back when you're done.'

He nodded and took it from her, following her silently into the gym where everyone was busy writing. Several students looked up to get a glimpse of the idiot who was arriving late to write his exam. The proctor walked over to her colleague who was supervising the exam, quietly repeating what Liam had just explained. Within seconds he was seated in the first row with his juice, his glucometer, his student ID and a leaky ballpoint pen. He took a moment to catch his breath and placed everything on the small desktop as he opened the exam workbook and glanced at the six questions on his exam paper. He tried to quiet himself but he could hear his heart pounding in his ears. He wiggled his toes in his wet sneakers, his feet were soaked from the melting snow and he felt a shiver down his back. One look up at the large clock by the scoreboard did nothing to quiet his mind and for a moment the room spun around him. One sip of juice and some self-talk and he started on question number two, the one that seemed the easiest to tackle.

He had less than an hour and a half to write a three hour exam. How the hell was he going to pull that off?

WCWCWC

_Christmas Eve, 11:45 a.m._

Neal was having a very productive morning. He had four dozen shortbread cookies cooling on the kitchen counter, some freshly made salmon dip in the fridge, a large pot of vegetable soup simmering on the stove and a tray of lemon squares in the oven. He glanced at his long list: up next, raisin butter tarts.

He grabbed the batch of artichoke dip he'd just finished, placed it in a bowl with a Christmas motif and reached in the cupboard for a box of water crackers and one of the mini loaves of country bread he'd baked earlier.

'Sara!' he called out as he kept working.

She appeared from the living room carrying a partially wrapped gift.

'Yeah?' she asked, popping her head in the kitchen. She noticed the bounty growing on the kitchen table as ingredients were transformed into delicious recipes.

'How do you want to wrap this up?' he asked.

She put down the gift she'd been wrapping and reached for an empty box she'd decorated earlier, transferring the dip, crackers and bread into it. She placed a small branch of holly on top of the bowl of dip, making it look even more festive.

'How about I add a few shortbread cookies in there as well' she suggested, producing a small tin decorated with Christmas trees. 'I think he'd like that.'

Neal turned to face her. 'Go for it. Oh, and tell him I'll be by with the snowblower to clear his driveway this afternoon.'

He seemed to think better of it and took a deep breath before continuing. 'You know babe, I've been thinking. If he's alone tomorrow, why don't we just invite him to join us for dinner?'

'Great idea' Sara said as she closed up the box and added a bright red bow.

Emily appeared with Caitlin in tow. 'Invite who?' she asked.

'Remember I told you about our neighbour, Mr. Powell?'

'The one who won the house decorating contest?' Emily asked.

Sara noticed Neal's shoulders drooping slightly, still smarting at his loss. To his credit, he didn't say a word.

'I'm just bringing him a care package. It's his first Christmas without his wife and we thought if he's on his own, we could invite him over for dinner tomorrow night.'

Emily nodded while Caitlin walked over to the gift box and picked it up, carrying it to the front door. 'I can carry it over to his house for you' she told Sara.

Neal kept working. There was still so much to do and he wanted to have most of the work done by dinnertime so he could enjoy Christmas Day without having to spend it in the kitchen.

'Be right back!' Sara called out.

WCWCWC

_Christmas Eve, 10:50 a.m._

No matter how hard he tried to keep his eyes on his paper, Liam couldn't help but glance at his watch every few minutes. He'd decided to tackle the exam questions with the highest point value first. If, or in this case, _when_ he ran out of time, better to leave the lower mark questions on the table. He knew this stuff inside and out and yet his brain was still working in slow motion and he was developing a persistent nervous tickle in his throat to say nothing of the constant shivering caused by his soaking feet.

Luckily, at last check, his sugar levels had stabilized so he wouldn't be embarrassing himself further by falling face down on his exam paper. He grew frustrated as he glanced down at the two remaining questions. He knew the answers to both but there were only ten minutes left before he had to turn in his paper and his hands just couldn't write that fast. Question three was worth twenty points but he would never have time to complete the chart required to actually do it justice. The other question he'd skipped was worth eight points but was doable if he didn't freak out. He got to work on it, one eye on the clock. He was only halfway done when the sound of a timer was heard, announcing the end for those whose exams were three hours long. Liam glanced behind him at the students who had until noon to finish, actually envying them.

He collected his paraphernalia, throwing the empty bottle of juice in the recycle bin as he walked past and returned his paper to the proctor before heading out to the hallway where Ms Librarian was still keeping watch like a sentry.

'Here' he said to her. 'Thanks for the pen.'

Apparently, she'd thawed somewhat because she gave him a small smile. 'You're welcome Liam Caffrey' she said.

WCWCWC

_Christmas Eve, 11:55 a.m._

What should have been a two minute walk over to the Powell place took Sara and Caitlin almost five minutes. Their side street hadn't been plowed since the snow had started the night before and they trudged through about a foot and a half of the white stuff, dragging along their holiday offering.

As they neared the Powell home, Sara waved to Jeff Mason who was out plowing his driveway. His head was down perhaps to keep the snow from blinding him but Sara couldn't help but wonder if it wasn't more a question of nursing his bruised ego.

The Powell house looked like it had been abandoned what with the snow and the fact that none of the lights in the house were on. Despite the fact it wasn't yet noon, lights were on in all the houses on the street as people made up for the lack of natural sunlight. Caitlin grabbed a shovel that had been abandoned by the side of the garage and shovelled out the six steps up to the front door and Sara followed one step at a time on the freshly shovelled steps. Once on the landing, she hung onto the large box with one arm and rang the doorbell with her other hand. Ed Powell didn't get around as easily as he once had and she needed to give him time to get to the door.

After a couple of minutes she gave the doorbell another try just in case he hadn't heard the first time and she shouted loudly through the door.

'Mr. Powell! It's Sara Ellis from down the street' she called.

She looked over at Caitlin and frowned. 'He's got to be in there' she said.

'I'll go check around the back and see if I can spot him in the house.'

Sara began a little jig known as the cold feet tango as she waited. She hadn't bothered to wear her fur lined boots considering she was only stepping out for a few minutes. She glanced across the street, noticing that Jeff had disappeared from sight and, in desperation, she tried the door to the Powell house on the off chance the man had left it unlocked. No such luck.

'SARA!' came Caitlin's shrill voice as she rounded the corner. 'He's lying on the floor in the kitchen!'

WCWCWC

_Christmas Eve, 12:00 p.m_.

It was time for Liam to admit defeat. There was no way on God's green earth he was going to make it to the bus terminal in time to catch the noon bus to NYC. After trudging back to his dorm to finish packing his things, he'd had to head back out in the storm and make his way to one of the city bus stops on campus - _if _the bus was running which he couldn't determine for sure. It was already noon as he huddled in the glass enclosure with his baggage and settled in to wait, his imagination running wild.

He'd blown it. His exam had been a complete disaster. He began to replay what he'd written on his test paper as well as everything he'd neglected to include in his answers. If he didn't get the passing mark of sixty, not only would he be forced to repeat the class next semester, he'd also lose his prestigious standing with the basketball team. University sports was a big deal and players were required to maintain their grade point average in order to represent the university on the basketball court. For that reason, players were entitled to extra tutoring and note-takers for those times they were travelling - anything to help maintain their averages and be held up as shining examples of success for the university. In exchange, players were elevated to rock-star status on campus.

The scrutiny was further magnified when it came to the team captain. Liam felt his chest tighten as fear bloomed in his stomach; if he didn't pass this class, he'd be benched and made an example of with the other players. Not only that, it might affect his partial scholarship and what would his parents say about that?

He took a halting breath which brought on a coughing fit and he grimaced. He continued to shiver in the small glass enclosure trying to make out if the main city street at the edge of the campus had been plowed. It was hard to tell for sure.

Pulling off one of his gloves, he reached for his phone while he kept one eye on the road for the bus.

'Cody' he said into the phone after getting the prompt to leave a message. 'Change of plans. I'm not going to make my noon bus. I'll have to call you once as I figure out what's going on.'

He was about to call home to relay the same message when he spotted faint headlights literally inching their way towards him.

'You all right son?' the burly bus driver asked as Liam stepped onto the snow covered bus.

'Better now' Liam replied with relief.

WCWCWC

_Christmas Eve, 12:05 p.m._

Sara tapped her coat pocket realizing with alarm she didn't have her phone. She dropped the gift box at the foot of the door.

'Run home and get Neal' she cried out to Caitlin as she made a mad dash across the street over to the Masons.

Jeff was putting away his snowblower in the shed at the side of the house. He looked up in surprise as she came running.

'Jeff! Something's happened to Mr. Powell. Call an ambulance.'

She watched as he stuck his head in the door and relayed the message to his wife and he took off across the street after her. They arrived out of breath, following the tracks Sara and Caitlin had made moments before.

Sara repeated what Caitlin had told her and the two of them struggled in the snow to make their way to the back of the house and up to the kitchen window, where they could see the elderly man lying motionless on the floor. They glanced around trying to find a way in. Apparently, the back door to the house had not been used in weeks, and a prohibitive amount of snow was blocking its access.

'We'll have more luck with the front door' Jeff called out as led the way back.

Caitlin and Neal could be seen running down the street towards them, Neal with his winter coat open and flapping in the wind. Within seconds they joined Sara and Jeff.

'We're going to have to break down the door' Jeff said, out of breath.

How hard could it be Neal thought; cops and superheroes knocked down doors all the time. He'd even had to do it on a couple of occasions when he'd worked for the Bureau. He and Jeff exchanged glances, nodded and gave the door a firm kick. They felt it shaking under their weight but it held strong.

Sara spotted Donna standing in her driveway with her coat wrapped around her and signalled her over.

'On three!' Neal called out as the guys prepared to give it another shot.

'One…. two….'

'I have a key!' came Donna's urgent voice as she waved something in the air.

Jeff looked at Neal and rolled his eyes. 'You couldn't open with that, honey?' he shouted in his wife's direction.

Opening the door with the key turned out to be child's play although it did dampen the spirits of the virile men who'd been attempting to save the day. The small group ran into the house with Neal and Jeff reaching the kitchen first. Off in the distance, they could hear the faint sound of sirens, muted by the snow.

Ed Powell was lying on his side, a small pool of blood by his head. A tray had been dropped and a cup had shattered, there was tea all over the floor.

'He's breathing' Jeff called out as Sara rushed to grab a cushion from the nearby couch. Neal placed it under the man's head and he stirred, his eyes growing in surprise at suddenly having a houseful of guests.

'Caitlin, go wait at the door for the ambulance' Neal ordered as the teen ran off.

The man attempted to move but Neal held him down. 'Don't move Ed, we've got an ambulance coming.'

'An ambulance?' the older man said, totally confused. 'Why?'

Jeff and Neal exchanged amused looks.

'Because you fell and hurt yourself' Jeff explained as he kneeled down beside him.

Ed Powell looked around at the mess he'd made as the memory of what had happened came flooding back.

'Oh dear' he said, his voice shaking. 'That was Estelle's favourite mug.'

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

_Christmas Eve, 12:40 p.m._

The paramedics arrived in record time considering the weather. The roads were busy as last minute shoppers ventured out and city crews did their best to keep the roads passable. Ed Powell was settled in a chair in his living room while the EMTs gave him the once over. After a cursory examination, they determined that a sudden drop in blood pressure had caused him to lose consciousness. They tended to what turned out to be a minor cut on the man's forehead while the group hovered around him.

The man remained upset but not for the reason one might think. Ever since his wife's passing, Ed Powell had taken comfort in having his morning tea in his wife's favourite mug. And now it was gone forever.

Caitlin moved to the kitchen where she began to clean up the mess, finding a toasted bagel which had rolled all the way under the kitchen table, a casualty of his fall. She gathered the shattered pieces of the porcelain mug and placed them carefully on the table.

Meanwhile, in the living room, the paramedics were packing up, urging the elderly man to let them take him to hospital. He would require a battery of tests in order to figure out what had caused his blood pressure to drop so suddenly but some of the tests would have to wait for a few days, considering certain hospital departments were closed over Christmas and Boxing Day. At least, they reasoned, he would be safe under the watchful eye of the nursing staff.

Sara and Neal exchanged glances as they watched Ed Powell's reaction. He'd set up a small tree by his chair in the living room and he'd ordered yorkshire pudding from some fancy upscale shop downtown for his Christmas dinner. Estelle Powell, of British descent, had prepared the delicacy every year of their marriage. He didn't want to give that up for powdered mashed potatoes and tasteless, overcooked vegetables.

The discussion continued for a few moments as he grew increasingly agitated. Neal and Sara communicated silently with their eyes, as always surmising each other's thoughts.

Finally, Neal spoke up. 'What about if Mr. Powell wasn't alone. What if he had people around him until he could come to the hospital to have his tests. Would that be okay?'

The EMTs looked at each other. 'We can't force you to come to the hospital sir' one of them said. 'But I'd feel a whole lot better leaving you here if you weren't alone.'

The elderly man's eyes lit up. 'I don't want to go to the hospital' he admitted breathlessly.

'Then it's settled' Neal said, getting to his feet. 'You can come stay with us. We've got plenty of food and a nice warm bed. What do you say, Ed?'

The elderly man seemed to relax at the suggestion; anything was better than lying in a hospital bed on Christmas Day.

Sara turned to face the paramedics. 'We'll take responsibility for him and we'll make sure he follows up with his family doctor.'

Reassured, the paramedics retreated, wishing everyone happy holidays while the small group remained standing around Mr. Powell. He'd begun to shake now that the emergency had passed.

'I can't impose on you…' he said, looking at Neal. 'I'll be fine on my own.'

'Mr. Powell…' Sara said, taking his frail hand in hers. 'We wouldn't have offered if we didn't want to. Like Neal said, we have tons of food and a nice warm bed for you.'

She looked up at her husband. With the kids home and Emily visiting, she wasn't sure how exactly they'd manage but they would find a way to make it work.

The man wiped a tear. It was hard to tell if he was sad or relieved.

'Tell you what' Sara continued. 'Donna and I will serve you up something to eat while you get your bearings and Neal and Jeff will clean out your driveway. Then, we'll pack up a few things and bring you over to our place for dinner.'

The man nodded and sniffled. He'd been feeling so alone and now he was surrounded by good samaritans. Jeff and Neal got to their feet, slipping into their coats. Jeff glanced around the cluttered room, noticing the Santa trophy proudly displayed on the fireplace mantel. He caught Neal's eye and nodded in that direction as they both smiled. Seemed that trophy was right where it belonged.

WCWCWC

_Christmas Eve, 1:15 p.m._

The bus terminal was a zoo. Some of the buses had been cancelled, others were simply running late. Liam made his way to the large arrivals and departures board, searching for the status of his bus which had been scheduled to leave at noon. The good news was that the bus still hadn't departed, the bad news: they were awaiting the status of road conditions on the I81 before making a decision whether or not to board passengers.

With all seating in the busy terminal occupied, Liam set his bag down on the floor and sat down next to it, tucking his long, lanky legs under him. His headache had worsened over the past hour and his thoughts drifted momentarily to the nice warm bed waiting for him back home. He unwrapped the cheese sandwich he'd picked up in the terminal's cafeteria and forced himself to take a bite. He needed something substantive to put in his stomach if he wanted to remain standing.

He glanced down at his phone, surprised to find there were no new messages from his folks — just a text from Hope telling him she couldn't wait to see him and that if he didn't keep his big mouth shut, she would cut off his balls and hang them on the Christmas tree. You know… just the usual sisterly love.

He called home, surprised to hear his aunt Emily's voice.

'Hey Aunt Em' he said, trying his best to be heard over the noise around him.

'It's noisy where you are' she said. 'I take it you're not on the bus.'

'Not yet. But I did make it as far as the bus terminal. Some of the buses are delayed' he said. 'Are my folks around?'

'They went out to help a neighbour' Emily explained. 'I can ask them to call you when they get back.'

'Okay…' Liam said, suddenly disheartened. It would have been comforting to hear his mom and dad's voices.

'Honey, don't give up. This storm won't last forever and before you know it, you'll be home with all of us' she said in an attempt to reassure him. 'The house is warm and toasty and full of great food. We're all waiting for you.'

Liam smiled at the thought. Despite being just a few hours away, he felt like he was on the other side of the world.

'Tell Mom and Dad I'll call back and let them know what's going on' he said.

He hung up and reached into his stuffed bag in search of relief for his persistent headache but found none. Instead, he sat back and let the ambient sounds wash over him.

WCWCWC

_Christmas Eve, 3:20 p.m._

Heading to the mall on Christmas Eve in the middle of a snowstorm was nothing short of lunacy. But Caitlin Somersby was determined. She had an urgent errand to run and she would not be deterred.

Seeing their elderly neighbour looking so vulnerable had brought back memories of her beloved grandmother. Not that Linda Bennett had been a blood relative but that hadn't mattered to either one of them. From the moment they'd met, the kindred spirits had bonded despite their differences. Perhaps it was the fact that the elderly woman had entered her life at a time when Caitlin was at her most vulnerable, perhaps it was the fact that Linda saw a bit of herself in the young girl's eyes. Regardless of the reason, they had spent five wonderful years sharing their daily up and downs, their joys, their sorrows and in Caitlin's case, plans for the future.

The young woman had recently moved in with the Caffreys when she'd first laid eyes on Linda Bennett. At first, Caitlin had decided she was just another old lady with absolutely nothing in common with a kid her age. But as time passed and she began to confide in the older woman, Caitlin found an inner peace that had always eluded her. Her young life had been rife with pain and anger and as she shared her feelings with Linda, they seemed to subside, to loosen their hold on her young heart.

For Linda, it had been about feeling useful. She'd made a mess of her own life with her son and if she couldn't use her past experience to help someone in need, then it had all been in vain. In the end, Linda's hard earned life lessons had contributed to healing Caitlin's angry heart.

Seeing poor Mr. Powell so vulnerable had truly touched Caitlin. Now that his wife was gone, he'd valiantly carried on with his life, doing small chores around the house, making meals, trying to carry on despite that big hole in his heart. Perhaps she could help in some small way.

She waited her turn at the china counter, the small bag tucked away inside her purse. The harried saleswoman looked up at her and wiped her forehead.

'How can I help you?'

'I'm looking for a replacement for a broken mug' Caitlin said, pulling out the small piece of porcelain. 'The name of the company is on the bottom.'

The woman took the broken piece of china from Caitlin's hand. 'This is a Maxwell and Williams. We carry most of their stuff.'

She reached for her glasses and examined the number that was printed under the mug. 'You say you're looking for just one mug?'

Caitlin nodded.

'You're lucky. Not all of our pieces are sold individually. Toile de fleurs is one of those you can purchase in sets or individually. Let me check if we have it in stock.'

Caitlin looked around at the people in the queue behind her, cooling their heels. She smiled at the man behind her who turned away and grunted. So much for the holiday spirit.

The woman returned with a box in her hand. 'Is this the one?'

'That's it!' Caitlin said triumphantly.

For an hour of her time and a mere ten dollars, she hoped to make someone very happy.

WCWCWC

_Christmas Eve, 3:45 p.m._

Mozzie picked at the food as fast as it came out of the oven.

'Moz, slow down. You can have as much as you want. Tomorrow!' Neal lamented.

'What good is it if you don't have a tester' Mozzie said as he popped a lemon square in his mouth. 'Wouldn't you rather know now if something isn't up to your exacting standards?'

Neal rolled his eyes and kept on working.

'So, what's the scoop with Liam?'

'He's still stuck at the bus terminal in Syracuse. God, I hope he gets out of there soon. Sara's going to be so upset if he doesn't get here tonight.'

Neal pulled a gigantic turkey out of the fridge and carefully placed it on the kitchen counter, preparing to go to work on it.

'I thought you said we weren't having the turkey until tomorrow night.'

'We're not. I like to cook it the day before and slice it up. Then I just keep it basted and heat it up the next day…'

He looked up at Mozzie's clueless face.

'Why do I bother…' he grunted.

The phone rang and Neal jumped on it, hoping it was his son with good news. Alas, it was not the case.

'Hi honey' he said, sounding deflated.

'Nice to talk to you too Caffrey' Sara replied sarcastically.

'Sorry… I was hoping it was Liam' Neal said.

'Still no word?'

He could hear the disappointment in her voice. 'Don't worry babe, he'll get here. How's Ed doing?'

'He ate a little something then he fell asleep in his chair. Poor man… I left a message for his daughter and asked her to call our place when she gets it.'

'Okay. Call me when he wakes up and I'll drive over and get him. I don't want him having to walk in this heavy snow.'

'Gotcha.'

'Oh and babe, while you're over there…' he said with a mischievous glint in his eye. 'I need you to do one more thing for me.'

WCWCWC

_Christmas Eve, 3:50 p.m._

Standing in the Powell bedroom, Sara felt like an intruder. The layout of the Powell house was similar to theirs but that's where the similarities ended. Whether it had always been this cluttered or a result of Estelle Powell not being there to pick up after her husband, Sara couldn't tell. There were piles of dirty clothes, photo albums open on the bed, dirty dishes lying about and boxes with what appeared to be women's clothes.

The notion that you don't know what happens behind closed doors had never been truer. Obviously, Mr. Powell had been struggling more than any of them knew. With fall turning into winter, residents of the street tended to remain inside their homes making it more difficult to stay in touch. Why had they not seen the pain this man was in and why hadn't they bothered to check up on him?

She recalled Mrs. Powell's funeral. The Powells' daughter Darlene and her family had flown in from the west coast where they'd been living for a good fifteen years or so. Sara and Neal had not seen the woman since she'd moved out almost twenty years earlier. Sara remembered her as a lovely young woman - she'd even babysat for the Caffreys on a couple of occasions back when the kids were little. At the funeral, Darlene had mentioned that once they got their dad settled, they would be heading back and that they'd promised their kids to take them to Florida for the Christmas break. Hopefully, she would be in touch soon.

Sara checked her watch. She had just enough time to put on a load of laundry before they moved Ed Powell over to their place. She collected what she could along with an overnight bag she found in the closet and carried everything down to the main floor. The sound of snoring could be heard as she approached the living room. Good, he was still sleeping.

She had time to do that little favour Neal had asked her to do.

WCWCWC

_Christmas Eve, 4:05 p.m._

The announcement was barely audible over the loud chatter in the Syracuse bus terminal. All passengers with tickets for the noontime bus to New York were being asked to congregate in the south west area of the terminal right by the departure gate. That had to be a good sign. Liam felt a surge of optimism despite his increasing frustration. Maybe he _would _make it home in time for the traditional unwrapping of the Christmas books after all. He collected his belongings all tucked away safely in his backpack and followed instructions, sniffling as he went. He wiped his nose with his coat sleeve and winced. Gross. He really should get a pack of tissues before he boarded the bus.

The area they'd been directed to had been kept clear and Liam scored a seat this time. Tucking his bag beneath him, he settled in with a sigh. Four o'clock… that meant that realistically he might get to White Plains by eleven if he was lucky. Still, plenty of time to reunite with Cody and get home in time to hear Hope and Cam's big announcement.

People arrived in droves and took their places around him. How many seats were in a typical Greyhound bus, he wondered. Seemed like too many people to fit on one bus. He distracted himself by googling the question: 54-55 seats in a typical bus he read. Perhaps some of those on later buses were trying to horn in. The noise level grew as a young woman approached carrying a crying baby and pulling along a whiny toddler. Poor woman… there was always someone worse off than you were, Liam reflected.

Seats began to fill up as the woman approached, dragging along the very unhappy toddler and bouncing the baby in her arms. Liam glanced around and noticing most seats were filled, he got to his feet just as the woman stopped nearby.

'Here' he said. 'Take my seat.'

The woman smiled at him despite being totally overwhelmed and let herself fall wearily in the single seat.

'Thanks' she muttered as the crying continued.

Most of those around them did their best to ignore the intrusive noise but Liam was focussed on what he could do to help. Not that he knew much about kids.

Now that she was sitting down, her baby seemed to settle. The woman pulled out a couple of juice boxes, handing one to her older child. Next, Liam watched her fish out a baby bottle, trying to juggle everything including the squirming baby. Liam could see the bottle had previously contained milk, the remnants still coating the very bottom of the bottle. The woman looked around - for what he wasn't sure. She seemed to be trying to figure out how to rinse the bottle so she could pour the juice into it.

'Can I help with that?' Liam asked with a friendly smile.

The young woman looked embarrassed then relieved. 'Would you mind? I need to rinse this so I can give her her juice.

'Of course' Liam said, picking up his bag and slinging it over his shoulder. 'I'll be right back.'

Meanwhile, with his juice box now empty, the toddler resumed crying as his mom handed him a small electronic toy from one of her bags. He glanced at it without interest and by the time Liam returned with the clean bottle, the kid had descended into a major tantrum.

The baby latched on to the bottle of juice but the woman appeared embarrassed by her toddler's behaviour.

'Hey there buddy' Liam said, taking a seat on the floor nearby. The boy stopped momentarily and stared at him, wondering what a grown man was doing sitting on the floor. Liam looked up at the woman, silently asking if she was okay with him talking to her boy. The woman nodded and smiled. Looked like a yes.

'What have you got there?' Liam asked pointing to the toy which had been discarded.

The sudden silence continued to the relief of the many passengers.

'My tablet' the child said with a sniffle.

'Your tablet!' Liam said, suddenly animated. He was exhausted, his head was throbbing and his throat was sore but surely he could make the effort to help this poor girl.

Liam picked up the toy, hoping to interest the child. He checked again as the woman smiled, relieved.

'What's your name?' Liam asked.

'Cody' the child replied as he came closer, sniffling.

Liam chuckled; talk about a sign from the heavens. The boy was suddenly right in front of him, their eyes meeting for the first time. He had dark brown eyes that spoke of wisdom beyond his years. Without hesitation, the child plopped himself down on Liam's lap and reached for the toy. Uneasiness crept in as Liam looked around. Now that the whining and crying had subsided, everyone had gone back to checking their phones or tablets, some putting their heads back to momentarily close their eyes.

'I'll show you' the child said as he took the toy and expertly brought up a matching game on the screen. Liam watched wide-eyed; at what age did kids learn to use technology these days?

'Tree' the child said as he uncovered a box on the screen. He immediately opened another, this time a book.

'Nope' he said, totally interested now. 'Your turn.'

Liam chuckled as the child settled in more comfortably on his lap. He held the tablet up to Liam's face and waited for him to give it a shot, coming up short. The unease he'd felt at having the child so easily climb into his lap began to subside as they continued taking turns.

When next he looked up, the poor girl had closed her eyes and her baby was asleep. He wondered what circumstances had brought her here, sitting in a bus terminal on Christmas Eve with two young children, surrounded by strangers. Where was she headed, was someone waiting for her at the other end, where was the children's father or was she raising these kids on her own?

His musings were interrupted by a gentle tug of his coat sleeve and he looked down.

'Your turn' said little Cody, his bright eyes turned towards him.

WCWCWC

_Christmas Eve, 4:10 p.m._

The car was already packed to the gills when Cameron returned with one last armful of gifts. Hope sat in the passenger seat, feeling as useless as proverbial tits on a bull. Over the last forty-eight hours, Cam's mollycoddling had led to a couple of testy exchanges between them and Hope was already starting to feel suffocated.

Cam had always been a selfless and caring man and she loved that about him. During her rehabilitation, she'd felt vulnerable and she'd counted on him to be strong, to look out for her, to give her the support she needed. But that was behind them now and what she wanted more than anything was to return to their previous dynamic as equal partners.

As the daughter of Neal Caffrey and Sara Ellis, Hope had been witness to an equal partnership her whole life. Her parents made any and all decisions as a team and had great respect for each other's feelings and points of view. They loved each other and understandably, on occasion, they had drifted over the line and had been overprotective of one another. When her mom had been sexually abused, her dad had been terribly shaken and had become exceedingly overprotective, inadvertently shaking her confidence in herself. Conversely, when he'd gotten shot following an altercation at the gallery, Sara had hovered over him - something that had driven her dad around the bend.

But they'd learned to talk things out. They were both strong and self-sufficient and although they longed to share their lives with one another, neither one of them _needed_ the other to function or to be whole.

She and Cam had a similar view of marriage but she could see that now that she was pregnant, Cameron could easily fall into the 'big strong husband looking out for the little wife' mold - and she wasn't going to stand for it. She adored her new husband, thrived on his love and devotion but she did not need to be protected. No siree! With Sara Ellis as a mother, Hope had learned at a young age how to stand on her own two feet, to be strong, to trust her judgement and to make her own decisions. In fact, her strength and independence was exactly what had attracted Cameron Armstrong to her in the first place.

Being pregnant didn't change any of that. Without crushing him or rebutting his sweet and loving concern for her and their baby, she needed to put the brakes on his mollycoddling before things got out of hand. Otherwise, it was going to be a long eight months.

The car door opened and snow blew in. Cam rubbed his hands together in an effort to warm up.

'Cold out there' he said as he started the car.

The heater pushed cool air out and they both shivered in response.

He reached for the gear shift and Hope put her hand on his arm to keep him from driving away.

'Sweetie' she said, her voice strong. 'You know I love you. But we need to talk.'

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

_Christmas Eve, 4:45 p.m._

The discussion hadn't gone quite as smoothly as she'd hoped. By the time Hope and Cam drove up the Caffreys' driveway, they were barely speaking to one another. She silently chastised herself for her lack of finesse in driving her point home. What had begun as a calm discussion about how she'd been feeling suffocated had deteriorated into an argument with Cam obviously hurt by her recriminations. It was Christmas Eve and she'd somehow managed to alienate her husband at a time when they were preparing to share important news with their extended families.

He was about to cut the car engine when she placed her hand on his arm, urging him to wait a moment.

'Cam, I'm sorry' she murmured. 'I didn't mean to hurt you.'

'Fine' he muttered making it clear it wasn't fine at all.

'We always said we'd be honest with each other' she reminded him.

'Hope, we've only known about the baby for two days… you can't blame me for being overexcited and getting a little carried away.'

'A little? Sweetie, you've been practically listening outside the bathroom door when I'm in there peeing. And you wouldn't even let me go down to the laundry room to get the laundry.'

He didn't have an immediate response for that. Instead, he looked away, embarrassed. 'Laundry baskets are heavy' he finally muttered.

'_Laundry baskets are heavy_… that's your best defence?' she said, deadpan.

He shrugged but didn't look at her.

'And you follow me around our tiny little apartment like you're afraid I'm going to trip and hurt myself… which I will by the way if you don't stop sticking to me like glue.'

'They say most accidents happen in the home' he murmured unconvincingly.

'Oh you mean the dreaded stubbing of the toe on the bed frame or… or… the scalding water in the shower? What's next? Are you going to start following me in there too?'

He glanced up at her, a small smile on his lips. 'I would… but it's too small in there for the two of us.'

Hope couldn't hold back. Despite her growing frustration, she giggled and shook her head in despair. He was exasperating albeit well intentioned but her point had to be made if she didn't want him driving her crazy for the foreseeable future.

'Babe, if you're acting like this now, what's it going to be like when the baby's born?'

'What do you mean?'

'Are you going to follow him around with a pillow when he's learning to walk or maybe follow him to school and sit at the desk next to him all day… or heaven forbid if it's a girl, chaperone her dates?

Cameron looked away. 'Maybe…' he grunted.

Hope turned in her seat, reaching for his hand and squeezing it tight. 'Do you think maybe we can find some sort of compromise? I promise to be careful and to take good care of myself and in exchange, you need to give me a little more space.'

'Space?' he repeated, his brow furrowed.

'Cam, I get it. I know you're worried I might have a setback…'

He frowned, his face growing serious. She appeared to have stumbled onto something that had been gnawing at his subconscious.

'You don't know what it was like seeing you like that' he said, cutting her off. 'I was terrified.'

He'd never shared much about his own feelings throughout her recuperation. He'd been stoic, concentrating on doing everything he could to make things easier for her. And to be honest, she'd had more than enough to deal with without worrying about his feelings back then.

'You're right… I'm sorry. I guess I don't always realize how difficult it was for you.'

'And I'm not trying to make it about me Hope… I just need you to understand…' he began, his voice growing emotional. 'I worry about you. I know you're strong, I know you can do anything you set your mind to. That's one of the many reasons I love you. I love you Hope' he repeated. 'And if you're happy, I'm happy but if you're hurting, I'm hurting…'

She smiled at him lovingly. 'Okay' she said, her voice quiet. 'I promise to try to be sensitive to that but honey… I'm not that vulnerable, injured little girl any more. I'm strong and you and I… we're partners, equal partners.'

She could see tears forming in his eyes. She was about to reach out for him when a set of headlights appeared behind them in the Caffrey driveway.

'We'll finish this later' he mumbled, casually wiping his eyes.

There was a knock on the passenger window of the car and a gloved hand wiped the snow which had begun to accumulate there. Hope looked up to see her uncle Peter's smiling face.

'Hey pumpkin!' he called out through the glass.

She cracked the car door open a few inches and waited for him to step away. 'Hi Uncle Peter!'

Elizabeth hovered behind her husband, carrying a large casserole and waiting for Hope to notice her.

'Hey Aunt Elizabeth' Hope said as she stepped out of the car and hugged them both.

Cameron plastered on a smile and stepped out the other side, following his wife out of the car. He walked over to the trunk, opening it, intent on emptying it of its contents.

'Here, let me help you with that' Peter said as the women linked arms and headed for the front door.

The wonderful aroma of spices and the sound of a ringing phone greeted them as they stepped in, covered in snow from the short trek from the car. Sara appeared coming down the stairs and Neal's voice was heard, resonating from the kitchen.

'That's fantastic!' he called out for the whole house to hear.

WCWCWC

While her daughter was talking things out with her baby daddy outside their front door, Sara was sitting on the edge of her bed, phone to her ear. Ed Powell was in the bedroom across the hallway, snoozing, the emotions of the day having finally caught up with him. After a little head scratching, she and Neal had finally figured out some sleeping arrangements that accommodated everyone. Hope and Cam, who'd asked if they could sleep over, would settle in her old room up on the third floor, displacing Emily to the hide-a-bed in the family room for the night. Caitlin would sleep in her own room and Liam would be relegated to the couch in the living room while their unexpected guest slept in his room.

There was always another way…

'Are you sure you're okay with having him sleeping over? You've got a houseful of people' Donna Mason said.

'We've got it covered' Sara replied, keeping her voice down. 'But there is something you could do though…'

'Name it!'

'If you don't mind running across the street and putting on another load of laundry, that would be great.'

'How bad is it over there?'

'Let's just say I doubt he's done any laundry since his wife died' Sara replied. 'Or done any tidying up.'

'I noticed the kitchen was pretty cluttered too' Donna commented. 'I'll give it the once over and try to get the bedroom cleaned out before he goes back. Maybe he's going to need some help to keep things organized.'

'You think?' Sara said with her usual biting wit. 'We left a message for Darlene. I'm sure she has no idea how bad it is.'

'All right, leave it to me' Donna said. 'Just let me know if you want us to bring him over here for awhile.'

Sara nodded and hung up just as she heard the front door open and the sound of female voices echoing from downstairs. She made her way down and was busy helping her best friend and daughter off with their coats when the phone rang.

A few seconds later, Neal shouted out. 'That's fantastic!'

All three women rushed into the kitchen to see what Neal's jubilation was about.

'Liam?' Sara mouthed as he nodded.

He covered the handset to speak loudly so everyone in the house could hear. 'He's finally leaving Syracuse!'

Loud cheers were heard as Peter and Cameron stepped into the house, arms full of wrapped gifts. Neal raised his hand, urging everybody to be quiet so he could hear what Liam was saying.

'You sure you're okay buddy? You're sounding a little rough' Neal said, waiting for a response.

'Well, try to get some sleep on the bus. We've got a lot of partying to do when you get here.'

WCWCWC

_Christmas Eve, 5:20 p.m._

The heater on the bus was a godsend. Liam hadn't been able to fight off the chill since he'd stepped out of bed that morning. His sneaker clad feet hadn't yet recovered from trudging through two feet of snow that morning and despite the fact he'd switched to warmer footwear, he still couldn't seem to warm up.

Sitting right across the aisle one seat ahead of him was Tania, the young woman he'd met inside the terminal. Liam could see young Cody's tiny feet swinging as he sat in the aisle seat next to his mom and baby sister. Every few seconds, the boy peeked around the corner in Liam's direction, waving at him and smiling. Despite feeling like death warmed over, Liam had been glad to help the young woman board the bus with her baggage. He'd carried Cody in his arms along with his own heavy backpack and the woman's suitcase while she'd struggled with the fidgety baby and a large diaper bag. He pulled out the packet of tissues she had kindly given him and wiped his runny nose, causing a tickle which led to a loud sneeze. Great, getting sick just in time for the holidays.

Surprisingly, Liam had gotten a single seat on the bus - perhaps because almost everyone else was travelling in pairs or groups. He glanced around at the faces surrounding him, the same ones he'd been observing for the past hour or so inside the terminal. There was the family of four who had all been glued to one screen or another: the mom with her tablet, the dad with his phone and the two teenagers with their Macs on their laps. The few people who were travelling alone were dispersed throughout the bus. A young woman about his age who was likely travelling home from school, sat a few seats up reading a book - an honest to goodness book - and a serious looking man carrying a briefcase and wearing a suit sat next to her. Liam passed the time observing his fellow travellers and trying to guess at their relationships, where they were headed and who they might be meeting at the other end of their journey.

While waiting inside the terminal, Liam had noticed a man reading a newspaper. He was a huge man with dark leathered skin that glimmered in the glow of the terminal's artificial lights and frankly, he'd looked like he'd seen better days. He'd appeared down on his luck - although that was merely a judgement on Liam's part. He wore good, comfortable boots but his coat was worn and he had on a simple woolen cap from which sprouted short but kinky salt and pepper hair. He'd been carrying a backpack and an ornate wood box about the size of a breadbox which he'd kept on his lap as he read. Whatever was in the box looked precious to him and Liam had let his imagination take him down the rabbit hole. Perhaps the box held a special holiday gift for a loved one or maybe he was a salesman and in his box were his wares or… maybe… Liam did a quick examination of the passengers in the seats around him looking for the mystery man.

The man was nowhere in sight.

The bus heater continued blowing warm, comforting air and after a few minutes, Liam decided to pull off his boots and tuck them under his seat, better to let his feet continue to thaw. He let the warmth envelop him and closed his eyes. With any luck, he'd be back in Cody's arms by late tonight, sitting by the decorated tree in their living room and unwrapping his Christmas book alongside Caitlin and his sister. The house would be full as it always was, there would be laughter and plenty of chatter and he would let himself be rocked to sleep by it all.

The holidays in the Caffrey home had always been abundant in every way: food, gifts, decorations but most importantly family, friendship and love. His mom always said it was because his dad felt the need to overcompensate for never really knowing what Christmas was like growing up. Not that his dad blamed his grandmother for that. He didn't. He'd made peace with the circumstances surrounding his life back then. The last few years with his grandma joining the family, Liam had noticed how happy and serene his father had been. This would be his first Christmas without her, he reflected. That would be hard on him - another reason for him to hurry up and get home.

The murmur of conversations on the bus acted as soothing background noise for Liam. He closed his eyes, visions of sugar plums began dancing in his head. Well, maybe not sugar plums but turkey, mashed potatoes, shortbread and every other delicacy his dad had concocted in preparation for the feast. He sighed, feeling his body begin to relax.

An insistent tug of his sleeve forced him to open his eyes and he found little Cody standing there holding a bottle of Tylenol.

'Whatcha doing buddy?' Liam asked, his voice rough.

'Mommy said to give you this' he said with a bit of a lisp. Liam glanced in Tania's direction; he could see her leaning forward in her seat, gesturing for him to take the bottle.

Liam popped two of the capsules in his mouth and prepared to return the bottle when the little guy spoke up once again.

'It's for you' the kid said before sauntering back to his seat.

Liam lifted the bottle as if in a toast and Tania nodded and waved. It seemed there were kind people everywhere. He shoved the bottle in his jeans pocket and leaned his head back on the headrest. The heavy snow blew past the windows at an alarming rate, obscuring everything on its path, It was a miracle the driver could navigate in such a storm. His head felt like it was about to explode and where a moment earlier he'd been shivering, now he felt hot and sticky. He grazed his cheek, his hands cool against his burning skin. A nap. That's what he needed, a good long nap. When he next woke up, Cody would be there waiting for him and once home, his mom would pamper him, settling him on the couch with a warm blanket, a nice hot drink and a hug. Sighing at the thought, he felt his body melt into the seat.

He'd barely begun to fade away when he felt someone hovering above him and heard the sound of someone clearing their throat. He forced his eyes open and looked up at the man he'd been wondering about moments earlier, still carrying the mysterious wooden box in his hands.

'Excuse me' the man said in a rich, baritone voice. 'I gave up my seat to an elderly couple back there. Do you mind if I sit here?'

WCWCWC

_Christmas Eve, 6:15 p.m._

Neal examined the yellowed index card. It had been written many moons ago in very tiny script and it was covered with food stains which had been wiped off, leaving some of the writing blurry - a sure sign of a treasured family recipe. He turned it over, noticing a small note written on the back.

_'__Dear Estelle, _it read,_ keep the tradition alive, Mother.'_

He smiled as he realized the recipe probably dated back to the early 1900s and that Estelle Powell's mom had likely passed it on when her daughter was newly married to Ed. Sara appeared behind him, looking over his shoulder.

'Do we have everything you need?' she asked, pointing to the recipe card.

'There's not much to it' Neal replied. 'But at least it'll be the real thing. I'll make it first thing in the morning. Let's hope it puts a smile on his face.'

Sara pulled away. 'I should go check on him. He's been asleep for almost two hours.'

Voices grew louder in the nearby family room where some of their guests sat singing Christmas carols. 'I'm surprised he got any sleep at all with all the noise in this house.'

Sara slipped away and Neal moved to join the group, singing harmony to the familiar 'Jingle Bells'. After dinner, the Masons, the Jordans, Diana and Christie and perhaps Clinton and Ivy and the boys would be coming over for hot chocolate and carolling. They'd been doing that for a couple of years now and Neal hoped it would become a new holiday tradition.

He'd barely sung a few bars when the phone rang and he jumped to his feet. Maybe a progress report from Liam?

Instead, a woman was on the other end, a voice he didn't recognize.

'Is this Mr. Caffrey?'

'It is' he replied. 'Merry Christmas!'

'This is Darlene Cunningham calling' she said as he frowned. '…Ed Powell's daughter.'

'Of course' Neal replied. 'Nice to talk to you again. We've been expecting your call.'

'Is he all right?' came the anxious voice.

'He's fine. He had a bit of a mishap and hit his head. We brought him home with us for now… to make sure he wasn't alone.'

'That's very kind of you' Darlene said, sounding relieved. 'I had no idea he wasn't well.'

'As far as we know, he was fine up until the moment he passed out. My wife and I saw him at the street party last night and he was in fine form, even brought his guitar along for the singsong.'

She laughed, a forced laugh. 'I feel so bad… we never should have taken this trip with the kids. Dad kept saying he was fine on his own and that we shouldn't change our plans. We'd promised our girls a trip to Disneyland if they did well in school.'

Neal listened as she continued. 'I should have know better.'

'We all do the best we can. The important thing is he's safe for now.'

'I can't thank you enough. I've booked a flight for tomorrow noon. My husband is going to finish up our trip with the girls.'

Neal looked outside the kitchen window at the accumulating snow. It sure was pretty when you were watching it from the safety of your warm, comfortable home.

'You might want to check with the airlines. I hear some flights in and out of New York are being cancelled.'

He heard a gasp and what sounded like a sob. 'What possessed me to leave him on his first Christmas without Mom.'

'Look, Darlene. Why don't I let you talk to him and you two can work it out.'

He heard a sniffle then a muted 'okay'.

'Just… I know it's not the same but he's safe with us and he's welcome to stay as long as it takes for you to get here. My wife even 'borrowed' your mom's recipe for yorkshire pudding and I'm planning on making him some.'

'He's gonna love that' she said, her voice shaky.

WCWCWC

Upstairs, Sara sat at the foot of Liam's bed as the elderly man woke from his nap.

'How are you feeling?' she asked. He was looking much better, his face relaxed. He even managed a smile.

'Hungry' he replied shyly.

'That's a good sign. Luckily, we have a remedy for that' Sara said, getting to her feet.

'Your things are right over there' she said, pointing to his overnight bag. 'And you know where the washroom is.'

There was a gentle knock on the bedroom door and Neal poked his head in, holding the phone in his hands.

'There's someone on the phone who'd like to talk to you' he said.

WCWCWC

_Christmas Eve, 6:42 p.m._

The constant rumble of the bus's engine was heard over the quiet voices of its passengers. They'd been on the road for almost two hours now and Liam had been sleeping soundly, all his troubles momentarily forgotten.

_In his mind's eye, he was home. The house was warm and welcoming, the aromas of the holidays amazing. The whole family was sitting around the dining room table and there was food in abundance. There was joy and laughter and everyone was talking over each other as they feasted. Raffie sniffed him and Liam gave him a loving pat on the head. Cody sat next to him and Liam felt his hand on his back, lovingly rubbing it._

_'__More turkey?' his dad asked._

_'__I'm stuffed' Liam replied as all eyes turned to look at him._

_'__We're so glad you're home!' Hope said adoringly._

(Hope? Seriously?)

_His mom, sitting on the other side of him, leaned over to kiss his cheek. 'You are the sweetest, most wonderful son I could ever ask for' she said, choking up._

(Somewhere deep in the recesses of his mind, he knew this had to be a dream but hey, who was he to object? Who in their right mind would complain about outright adulation and coddling from the ones they loved.)

_Instead, Liam smiled contentedly. He was being treated like a king and the truth was, he wasn't hating it. _

_'__Here' Caitlin said, taking the last of the shortbread and putting it on his plate. 'You have it… I'll have something else.'_

(Okay… now this was getting really weird. Caitlin giving up the last cookie was way over the top.)

_Cody's hand caressed Liam's and he leaned over to place a soft lingering kiss on his lips as he ran his hand up his thigh._

(All right! What self-respecting dream didn't contain a touch of titillation?)

_He turned to see his dad on his feet, preparing to make a toast._

_'__To Liam!' he said, holding up his glass. 'The prodigal son.'_

_Everyone lifted their glass and there was thunderous applause… all for him._

'Cody…' came Liam's breathless voice, barely recognizable.

He woke with a start. The bus had stopped. 'Prodigal son?' he murmured under his breath, still in a sleep daze.

'Sounds like you were having a really interesting dream' said the stranger beside him.

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

_Christmas Eve, 6:55 p.m._

'Honey, the natives are getting restless. I don't think we can hold them off much longer' Sara said as she entered the kitchen.

Neal must have been thinking the same thing because he had the huge pot of chili simmering on the stove top and El's enchiladas warming in the oven. The rest of the food was laid out on the table, ready to be brought out to the dining room for everyone to feast on.

'You're right, there's no point in keeping everybody waiting. It's going to be a while still before Liam gets here' he replied, grabbing for a pile of bowls up in the cupboard. 'We'll just make sure we make him up a nice big plateful of food. He'll be starved by the time he finally gets home.'

He heard a strangled sound and turned to face his wife, noticing tears forming in her eyes.

'Hey…' he said, arms reaching out to envelop her. 'Come here you.'

The sobbing grew more audible as she buried her face in his sweater. He ran his hand soothingly through her hair, resigned to the fact that the dinner preparations were going to have to wait a minute.

'Baby, don't cry' he murmured in his most reassuring voice. 'He'll be home before you know it.'

She sniffled most unladylike and looked up into his eyes. Apparently, it was her turn to worry. 'What if he isn't?' she whimpered.

He chuckled with just enough empathy to keep her from becoming annoyed. 'Honey, that's crazy talk. Of course he'll make it home. This storm won't last forever… and besides, what's he going to say when he walks in and finds his mom blubbering.'

She pulled away and gave him an exaggerated pout but at least the sobbing subsided. Neal Caffrey's charm and humour had triumphed again. He slipped his arms around her and gave her a hug in an effort to comfort her. Truth was, she was mostly upset with herself for getting so emotional. From the moment Liam had come into this world, the family had never been apart for the holidays and she sure as hell didn't want this to be the first.

Neal held her close, tucking her head underneath his chin. 'Remember the year we all got sick?' he murmured softly, hoping to take her mind off her present woes.

Sara laughed through her tears. 'We thought it would turn out to be our worst Christmas ever.'

He nodded. In hindsight, they both had fond memories of bundling up on the couch, watching movies and enjoying being miserable together. Liam had been just a baby at the time.

The emotions rose in her chest once more and the tears returned as her breathing faltered. Neal thought fast, trying to keep her from drowning in self-pity.

'Then there was the year you were pregnant with Liam and I got so worried about that case you were working on that I started following you around town to make sure you were safe.'

She pulled away and smiled wistfully, recalling the memory. She sure as hell hadn't been laughing back then. Recollections started popping up, each as memorable as the last.

'Then there was the year you and Mozzie took Liam out of town to check out some decorations you wanted to buy. Remember? And your truck broke down and you got stranded God knows where.'

Neal grimaced; it had not been his finest moment. 'We ended up missing Santa's visit to the community centre… Liam was so upset.'

'He wasn't the only one' she reminded him. 'You're just lucky Jeff stepped in to save the day or I'd _still _be mad at you.'

Their little walk down memory lane seemed to be doing the trick. They smiled at each other fondly. Counting the year she'd been pregnant with Hope, this was their twenty-sixth Christmas together and they'd all been memorable in their own way.

Her mind returned to the present and her six-foot two baby boy who was out there in the blizzard. Her smile melted into a frown once more.

'If he doesn't make it home, this will definitely be our worst Christmas ever' she lamented, her mood changing once more.

Neal framed her face with his hands, forcing her to look up at him. 'Sara Ellis, do you hear yourself? We have a wonderful home, Hope and Cam and Caitlin are here, we have presents under the tree, a houseful of friends, food galore' he said, pointing to the obscene amount of food surrounding them. 'So much to be grateful for… Do you really want to label this our worst Christmas ever?'

Sara sniffled and tried to gain control of herself. She shook her head no, conceding his point.

'Look at me. Liam's just a few hours away' he reminded her. 'And it might take him a while to get here but he _will_ get here and then the kids will open their Christmas books and Caitlin will tease him like she always does and then he and Hope will stay up until all hours telling each other all their secrets… and all will be right with the world again.'

He leaned in and kissed her forehead and he began to rock her back and forth in his arms, humming a familiar Christmas tune in her ear. She couldn't help but smile too.

'Thanks' she murmured, suddenly embarrassed about her little outburst. He winked at her and gave her another quick hug.

'Hey you two, we're starving' came Mozzie's loud voice, instantly breaking the mood. He stepped into the kitchen, finding them in a familiar clinch.

His arms collapsed at his side as he shook his head. 'For crying out loud, get a room!'

Neal ignored him and leaned in to kiss his wife, watching her face finally relax.

From the dining room where everyone was assembled, waiting for their Christmas Eve feast came the familiar voice of Cody Miller.

'Oh no!' he cried out.

WCWCWC

_Christmas Eve, 7:02 p.m._

Liam stepped off the bus and took little Cody's hand. He made his way up the cement steps to the restaurant door, right behind Tania and her baby. The neon sign in the parking lot read 'Carlos' Diner' although both the 'o' and the 'e' were out of commission. Liam sent the young boy ahead, right into his mom's waiting arms and stood at the door, holding it open for the rest of his fellow passengers. The wind blew snow in his face providing temporary relief from the burning sensation on his fevered skin. Inside, the white stuff began to accumulate on the well used carpet in the small lobby.

Liam had driven past the small diner on the outskirts of Cortland every single time he bused to and from university but he'd never stopped here. He checked his watch; they'd been gone for almost two hours and had only covered a little more than thirty miles. This little stop of theirs was going to slow them down even more and if he knew his folks, they would be worrying about him. At this rate, he'd be lucky to be home for New Years. He scrolled down to Cody's number and began to tap a short message.

_'__30 mins out of Syracuse at a diner in Cortland. Stopping for a while. Roads are crap. Tell my folks not to worry. I'll keep you posted. _❤️ _u. _

He put his phone away and stepped into the restaurant. There was general confusion as people crammed in looking for somewhere to sit. Gus, their bus driver, had pulled up a chair and was struggling to climb onto it so he could be seen by all.

'Listen up everybody!' he said as he teetered on the chair. 'We're making a thirty minute 'comfort' stop so you can all use the facilities and get some food and then I'll let you know what's going on.'

Let you know what's going on? That sounded ominous.

Liam glanced around the family diner as people began to settle in at the two dozen or so tables. A few families were settling in at the larger tables and he noticed Tania sitting at a table for two with the baby strapped to her chest and Cody sitting across from her. He wandered over and crouched down so he could look into the child's eyes.

'Hey little man, how are you doing?'

'Mommy says I can have fries.'

Liam wagged his eyebrows, noticing his headache was still very much present. 'Good for you buddy.'

'Do you want to get a chair and join us?' Tania asked.

He glanced around, trying to locate a free chair and found none in the immediate vicinity. Clear across the diner, right by the washrooms, he noticed a table for two where the man he'd been sitting with on the bus had taken up residence, his mysterious wooden box placed on the table before him.

'You know what, I think I'll go sit over there. That man looks like he's alone' Liam said pointing. 'But holler if you need me.'

Tania nodded and watched him walk away, crossing the diner and stopping in front of the large man.

'Guess it's my turn to ask' Liam said, sounding horribly congested. 'Do you mind if I sit here?'

WCWCWC

_Christmas Eve, 7:05 p.m._

Everybody turned to look at Cody whose eyes were still glued to his phone.

'What is it?' asked Hope.

'Liam says they're stopping for a while.'

Sara felt a shiver down her spine. 'Stopping? Where are they?'

'They're in a town called Cortland about half an hour out of Syracuse.'

'What?' Sara said, totally discouraged.

Neal slipped his arm around her shoulder and squeezed. He remembered driving through the town from his many forays upstate to visit Liam. His son was still an awful long way from home.

'It's certainly better than taking chances if the roads are bad' he opined all the same.

'Neal is right' added Mike Miller, his arm around his son. 'Those bus companies don't do this kind of thing unless it's absolutely necessary. They're used to getting people where they need to go. If they think the roads are unsafe, Liam is better off holing up for a while until it's safe.'

Cody nodded, unable to hide his disappointment.

'Look I want Liam home as much as everybody else' Mozzie said, getting to his feet. 'After all, I got him the best present of anybody here and I can't wait to see his face when he opens it…'

Hope and Cam snuck a glance at each other. They were pretty sure they had their uncle Moz beat in that department.

'But I'm starved!' Mozzie continued. 'And not eating isn't going to help Liam get home any faster.'

He disappeared into the kitchen, ostensibly to start bringing the food in for everyone and Neal followed him.

'Mozzie's right' Sara said, trying to keep a stiff upper lip. She reached for a couple of wine bottles and handed one to Caitlin so they could start filling glasses.

'It's Christmas Eve' she announced, keeping her voice steady. 'Let's try to make the most of it until Liam gets here.'

WCWCWC

_Christmas Eve, 7:10 p.m._

The man with the wooden box looked up at Liam and gave him a warm smile, his white teeth in sharp contrast to his dark skin. He let out a roaring laugh before speaking.

'That'd be great. I could use the company.' He thought for a moment. 'You're not going to sleep through dinner too, are you?'

Liam chuckled. Although he would have loved nothing more than to curl up and carry on with his nap, he had to get some food in his stomach first.

'No, I promise' he said with a grin. He pulled out the chair and let himself fall, looking weary. 'Sorry about earlier. I guess I wasn't very sociable on the bus. I've been… feeling a little under the weather.'

'I can see that' the man said, pointing to Liam's nose - which was looking as shiny and red as Rudolph's.

Liam dabbed self consciously with a weathered tissue. 'Yeah… well. This thing just kind of crept up on me over the last few hours. I can't seem to stop shivering.'

'Maybe food and a warm drink will help' the man said, handing Liam a menu.

'Lester Jackson' he said, putting out his hand.

Liam took it, noticing how strong the man's grip was. Big hands, big broad shoulders, beefy arms. The guy looked like a linebacker. Now that he'd pulled off his woolen cap, it was obvious there was significantly more salt than pepper in his short kinky hair but despite his advancing years, he still looked strong and robust.

'Liam Caffrey' Liam replied with his best imitation of a smile.

'How do you do Liam Caffrey? It's nice to meet you.'

Liam pulled his eyes away and rested them on the menu. 'I need to eat something if I'm going to remain vertical' he said.

'I'm diabetic' he explained, feeling the need to provide an explanation for his previous statement. 'And when I get sick, I have to be particularly careful to keep things balanced.'

'I get it' the man said, nodding. 'My son was diabetic too.'

Liam noticed the use of the past tense and tucked away the information for later.

'What looks good?' he asked Lester, pointing to his menu.

'I'm treating myself to a 20-ounce extra juicy ribeye and _two_ baked potatoes' he said, his voice thunderous. 'For starters anyway.'

Liam nodded; the guy seemed like a real character. He returned his eyes to the menu but not before stealing a quick glance at the box on the table, something that wasn't lost on the older man.

Food arrived in record time which was truly impressive considering how busy the joint had gotten all at once. The owner, a funny little man named Carlos had reacted quickly, calling in reinforcements not the least of which was his wife, this tiny woman he referred to as 'Mamasita'.

Her arrival was noticed by all. She had a thunderous voice and looked like a force to be reckoned with despite the fact she wasn't even five feet tall. It was obvious that, despite the fact the joint was called 'Carlos' Diner', she was the one calling all the shots. Before long, two younger waitresses appeared, carbon copies of Mamasita and food started pouring out of the kitchen just as fast as it was ordered.

Before long, everybody was served and the loud chatter was reduced to a soft roar as everyone chowed down. Liam and Lester exchanged niceties, with Liam doing most of the talking. Lester quizzed him on where he went to school and before long they were discussing Liam's budding basketball career.

'I thought I recognized you' Lester said. 'College basketball is a big deal - you're probably the closest thing to a rockstar we've got on the bus tonight' he said good-naturedly.

Liam stared back with wide eyes; he'd probably never get used to being recognized when he was out in public.

Before long, the two men were debating the strengths and weaknesses of each of the teams in Liam's division. The man knew his basketball, that was for sure.

'You ever play?' Liam asked at one point.

Lester took a huge bite of meat before replying. 'Not bball' he said. 'I played football back when I was younger.'

'Oh yeah? Where'd you play?'

'Down in Texas. I played at A & M' he said, avoiding Liam's curious gaze.

It was Liam's turn to be impressed. 'You played for the Aggies?'

The man replied even though he was still chewing. 'Two seasons' he said, making the peace sign with his huge fingers. 'Lineman. Halfway through second year, I had to quit school when my dad got sick.'

Liam nodded, wanting to know more but the man seamlessly turned the conversation back to basketball. Even though he was still feeling like crap, it was nice to talk to someone who knew the sport, it helped pass the time. He picked at his pasta, his usual appetite muted by the thumping in his head and the constant chills.

'So, where are you headed son?' the man finally asked.

'I'm on my way home' Liam said.

'And where's home?'

'White Plains, born and raised. Played basketball there since middle school.'

The man nodded and Liam took advantage of the short silence to pose a question of his own. 'Where do you hail from?'

The man smiled as if the question was bringing back memories… happy memories.

'North Carolina' he said with pride. 'But I've moved around an awful lot, especially these past few years.'

Liam opened his mouth to speak when a loud disembodied voice was heard.

Gus again. 'Excuse me!' he called out.

The two men turned to find the bus driver back up on the chair. He was a short little man with a round belly, a bald head and a big smile. But at the moment, they couldn't help but notice he wasn't smiling much.

'I know we've all got places to get to tonight' he began. 'But I'm afraid I have some disappointing news. The weather bureau has informed us that the worst of the storm will be coming through this area over the next few hours and visibility is expected to be greatly reduced. Until things clear up… looks like we're all stuck here.'

WCWCWC

_Christmas Eve, 8:15 p.m._

By eight o'clock, with their bellies full, the group that had been sitting at the Caffreys' dining room table had begun to scatter. Emily, Elizabeth and Sara had taken on clean-up duty while Caitlin, Hope, Cam, Mike, Mindy and Ed Powell settled around the Christmas tree in the living room, polishing up their vocal cords. Sara had had the presence of mind to bring Ed's guitar over from his place and the group assembled to continue practicing for the carolling with Ed strumming his guitar to make sure they stayed on key.

Meanwhile, Peter was busy giving Neal a hand setting up the _post-carolling_ snack table in the family room. Carolling was hard work and the participants would be hungry when they returned. Besides, what was carolling without hot chocolate for the kids and hot toddies for the grownups. Mozzie hovered, grabbing a cookie here, a square there as Neal glared at him.

'Moz…' he said sternly. 'You're not helping.'

Mozzie grinned as if to say _'I wasn't trying to'_. He threw back a brownie and washed it down with a gulp of wine.

Cody, it seemed, had other things on his mind. He stood in the doorway to the living room, distractedly humming the words to 'White Christmas' from one of the lyric sheets Neal had prepared. But his heart just wasn't in it. All he could think about was Liam, sick and alone, stuck out there in the blizzard somewhere. With his boyfriend's arrival expected for tonight, the Caffreys had kindly invited Cody and his parents for dinner. Neal and Sara knew their son would be torn between seeing his family and reuniting with Cody - it made sense to give Liam a chance to do both on his first night back. But life's unpredictability had decided otherwise.

The sound of the doorbell was heard and Mozzie wandered over to the door as if he owned the place. Sara stood behind him as he opened up for the newcomers.

'Jordans! Welcome!' she called out as Lydia, Sam, Beatrice and Chloe stepped in, the girls dressed warmly in matching snowsuits. Bea's arms were instantly around her godmother's hips.

'We brought you a present, Aunt Sara' the twelve year old declared.

Coats were removed and the Jordans moved to the living room to join the choir just as the doorbell announced new arrivals: this time, Ivy and Clinton and their boys, followed closely by Diana and Christie and the girls as well and Donna and Jeff. The volume in the house rose to a pitch as the voices multiplied and soon it was time to go out into the cold and warm up hearts with the makeshift choir's rendition of holiday tunes.

Their voices were united in song but they were keenly aware that one of their own was still missing.

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

'Quiet please, quiet!' Gus the bus driver said as everyone reacted to the news. 'The road crews are doing their very best to keep highways open but it's coming down so fast, they can't keep up. That, along with the high winds makes it impossible to travel safely on our roads. Authorities believe that by morning, the snow will begin to taper off, visibility will improve and the roads can be properly cleared.'

'Morning! Are you kidding?' someone shouted from the back of the room.

'Oh no!' another person called out.

There were murmurs all around as the news sunk in. Liam glanced across the diner, trying to get a sense of how Tania was reacting. To his surprise, although there was alarm on her face, she remained seated calmly with the baby on her lap while Cody continued devouring his fries.

'Now, there's a motel about two miles up the road and they have about a dozen rooms available. Not enough for everyone. I suggest we draw straws and see who gets to go. Otherwise, Mr. Suarez here, he said pointing to Carlos, has offered to keep the diner open for the night and to keep the coffee coming for those who want to hunker down here. Emergency services are on their way over with blankets and pillows. As soon as we get the all clear, we'll get right back on the road.'

Lester Jackson raised his hand and upon being recognized, he stood, glancing around the diner.

'I may be old fashioned' he began, his booming voice commanding attention. 'But I suggest we go old style and make sure anyone with kids gets first dibs on the rooms followed by women or anyone who might be ill or have special needs.'

A few 'yeses' were heard peppered throughout the room.

'Everyone in favour?' Gus the bus driver asked.

Hands went up, a definite majority. 'All right' he said. 'Come and see me one by one and we'll figure this out' he said, preparing to get off his makeshift platform.

The group began talking again but before the noise got too loud, Liam stood, asking to speak.

'Excuse me!' he shouted. 'I don't know about the rest of you but I'm pretty eager to get home in one piece. I suggest our bus driver take one of those rooms so he can get a decent night's sleep.'

There was applause and the driver waved his thank you. Voices grew louder as everyone began to mobilize, making plans for the next few hours.

'I'm getting some coffee' Lester declared, getting to his feet. 'Want some?'

Liam nodded. 'That'd be great!'

He watched as the man walked up to the bar where coffee and mugs had been set up so people could help themselves. When he looked down, he found little Cody at his feet. He boy was rubbing his eyes and had a stuffed toy stashed under his arm. It was obvious by the look on his face that he was beginning to fade. It had been a long day for everyone.

'I want to stay here with you' he declared to Liam's surprise.

WCWCWC

Singing had never been Peter Burke's forte but, over the years, he'd done plenty of things he wasn't crazy about doing - usually for the benefit of his wife or, as in this case, to see that smile on his best friend's face. He mouthed the words, holding back his discordant singing voice while the group let loose on the chorus of 'We wish you a Merry Christmas'.

'Come on Peter, let it out' Neal said as they stood together at the back of the pack. 'It's Christmas!'

Besides spreading cheer to the neighbourhood, the carolling was a chance to get everybody together for the holidays and it was an opportunity to show the kids that Christmas was all about sharing.

Chloe Jordan, the youngest of the group, waited for the last note to end and she stepped forward with her little pail decorated with bells. Myrtle Stevens opened her wallet and handed her husband a twenty dollar bill which he deposited into the pail.

'Thank you mister' came Chloe's voice.

'Thanks Charlie!' Neal called out to his next door neighbour as they prepared to move on. 'Merry Christmas!'

As they moved along to the next house, Sara glanced over her shoulder at their overly decorated house, spotting Mr. Powell sitting by the window. Caitlin had offered to stay behind to keep him company while the rest of the group went out to gather donations.

The previous year, they had collected the tidy sum of $740 to benefit the June Ellington School of Art. The money had allowed the school to fund an additional class for underprivileged kids. This year, they had all agreed that donations would be turned over to their local food bank.

'How are we doing?' Neal asked the child as he peeked into the donation pail.

'We have nine!' she declared proudly.

'Nine!' he repeated, noticing mostly twenties and a couple of fifties. 'Good job kiddo!'

If Neal had turned around at that precise moment, he would have noticed the look of pure pride in his best friend's eyes. Nothing in the world made Peter Burke happier than the realization that Neal had come into his own. In the early years, when Neal was working off his sentence, Peter had come close to sending his CI back to prison SO many times. But every single time, he'd find a reason - or was that an excuse - not to. Truth was, even back then, he'd seen the good in Neal, the heart of gold beating under an exterior of arrogance.

Of course Neal still drove him crazy with his cocky mannerisms, his overblown self-assurance, his fondness for cutting corners, his know-it-all attitude and that mischievous look in his eyes that always kept you guessing. But now those traits had faded into the background and had become mere annoying habits as Neal's generosity, compassion, and kindheartedness (traits he'd tried so hard to disguise back then) shone through. But even more surprising was the fact that, over time, Neal's joie de vivre had begun to rub off on Peter and he could honestly say his life was all the better for it.

His eyes swept over the large group of new friends and old. Neal was a gatherer, always had been. He loved people, was interested in what they had to say and although, in the past, he'd used that skill as a way to distract or deflect from his misdeeds, it was obvious that his interest in others had been sincere all along. Out of the corner of his eye, Peter noticed Sara gravitating towards her husband, their undeniable attraction as strong as the day they'd first met. He'd seen it countless times over the years, the way the two of them were simply unable to stray very far away from one another. Neal leaned in to whisper something in her ear but try as he might, Peter was unable to read his lips. Whatever it was, it made Sara smile and when she did, his face lit up too. As if they were the only two people on the planet, they locked eyes, caught up in the moment. It was Christmas Eve and they were surrounded by friends and family. Neal gave her a gentle tug, pulling her into him and lacing his arms around her, he leaned in to place a sweet kiss on her lips while the snow danced gently around them.

When next he looked up, he noticed Peter standing there with a stupid look on his face.

'Hey Peter! Let's go!' he called out. 'We've got lots more singing to do.'

WCWCWC

The sight of the little boy standing there with his big brown eyes took Liam by surprise. His mom appeared right behind him with her baby daughter asleep in her arms.

'Cody! Cody!' she shouted at him, with alarm. 'Get back here!'

She took her son by the arm, intent on dragging him back with her to their table. 'You can't go running off like that' she told him sternly.

She looked up at Liam, embarrassed. 'I'm sorry. He got away from me before I could stop him.'

'It's okay' said Liam, putting his arms out to give the child a hug. Without warning, Cody climbed up onto his lap and instantly had his arms around his neck, holding on tight as if his live depended on it.

'I think he's overtired' Lidia moaned, herself on the verge of tears.

It wasn't surprising that everyone's emotions were getting frazzled. Most travellers had waited for hours to board the bus only to be told that they wouldn't be back on the road until morning.

Lidia grew increasingly upset. She reached over, intent on prying her son away from poor Liam who wasn't sure how to react. The more she insisted, the more defiant Cody became.

'He's usually such a good kid' Lidia lamented, tears running down her face.

'It's fine… really' Liam said.

The little boy had already stuck his thumb in his mouth and was resting his head against Liam's chest, his eyes drifting closed.

Lidia took the seat vacated by Lester. 'I'm sorry…' she said again, wiping her eyes. 'He misses his dad… I've noticed he clings to any guy who shows him the slightest bit of attention.'

Liam smiled at her. It was the first time he'd seen her without a smile on her face. He might be feeling like crap, his eyes burning, his throat itchy, his head throbbing but it was nothing compared to what this young woman was going through. She'd been stoic all day, travelling on her own with two young children without a word of complaint.

'There's no need to apologize' Liam replied, his hand resting on Cody's back. He felt his heart skip a beat; it was a strange sensation to be holding a young child against him. He thought of Hope who would be a mom by the time next Christmas rolled around. He was going to be an uncle and suddenly that notion wasn't quite so scary.

'Can I ask…' he hesitated. 'Where _is _his dad?'

'He's military. He's doing a tour of duty in Afghanistan' Lidia replied, wiping her eyes.

'That can't be easy' Liam said soberly. 'Especially at this time of year.'

'We do okay… My folks help out a lot. I'm on my way to have Christmas with my in-laws in New York. If we ever get there' she added with a touch of bitterness.

Liam's eyes rested on the young boy's dark head and he ruffled his hair. He was so vulnerable there in his arms and Liam was suddenly overcome with compassion for Lidia and her kids.

'Look, I'm happy to help in any way I can until we get to our destination.'

There was a kerfuffle at the front door of the diner. Two men wearing neon vests were carrying in a load of warm blankets and pillows while Gus was trying to assemble those who would be boarding the bus for the short journey to the motel down the highway.

Lidia rose to her feet and took a few steps towards Liam, reaching for her son. 'The bus is getting ready to leave. I better get going' she said.

'Come on sweetie' she coaxed as she attempted to pry him away from Liam's arms. 'It's time to go.'

Cody woke momentarily, resisting her touch. 'Stay wif Liam' he muttered without bothering to remove his thumb from the deep recesses of his mouth. He tightened his grip on Liam's shirt.

'It's fine… really' Liam said, surprised at his own words. 'If you want to leave him with me for a few hours, I'll make sure he's okay.'

The woman searched his eyes, unsure what to do. She wasn't in the habit of leaving her kids with strangers but Liam had shown such kindness and had built such a strong connection with her son.

'If you leave him here, it'll be easier for you to get on and off the bus' Liam said. 'I'll keep an eye on him and hopefully we'll be on our way first thing in the morning.'

He could tell she was tempted by his offer. Getting on and off the bus with just the baby would make things a lot simpler for the young mom. She gave Liam one last look and leaning in again, she brushed a stray strand of hair from her son's eyes.

Liam nodded, encouraging her to take him up on his offer.

'Mommy's going to go lie down with Maya for a while. You sure you want to stay here?' she murmured in his ear. He nodded, not even bothering to open his eyes. She kissed his forehead and he smiled, his grasp finally relaxing on Liam's shirt.

Lidia and Liam exchanged phone numbers and she got to her feet, preparing to follow the group out to the bus.

'Maybe just make sure he…' she said, pointing in the direction of the washroom.

'Right! No problem' Liam said. 'Now, go get some rest.'

'Thank you' she mouthed as she made her way to the door.

Lester Jackson stood at the bar watching the events unfold with interest. He waited a moment then headed back to their table carrying along warm drinks.

WCWCWC

'Here you go' Caitlin said, handing Ed Powell a cup of tea.

'Thanks' the man said, settling back in the armchair. 'You're all very kind.'

'The curse of being a Caffrey' she said with a smile.

He nodded. 'I'm not really a Caffrey though' she added, taking a seat across from him. 'Sara and Mr. C always say I'm an honorary Caffrey. I came to live here a few years ago. I'm really here in foster care.'

The man listened and sipped his tea. A few years earlier, he'd noticed someone new coming in and out of the Caffrey house. Of course he knew Hope and Liam from watching them grow up down the street; his daughter Darlene had even babysat for them on occasion. Estelle had always been much more in touch with the gossip on the street than he was. She'd told him about the troubled teen the Caffreys had taken into their home. Sara had confided in Donna Mason who'd told Myrtle Stevens who'd mentioned to Estelle that they were having trouble coping with her shenanigans.

Of course Neal, who sat on the neighbourhood watch committee with Ed had never said anything about it. He had way too much class for that but on a couple of occasions, Ed had read between the lines. He'd even done some gossiping of his own with Charlie Stevens who by virtue of living next door to the Caffreys could hear pretty well everything that was going on in their home. He'd reported that the new girl was trouble and was causing Neal and Sara to rip their hair out.

A plate of dessert appeared before his eyes. 'Would you like a cookie to go with that tea?' Caitlin asked.

Ed's eyes roamed the plate and landed on a lemon square.

'That's one of my favourites too' she said as he reached for it. 'Mr. C is an amazing baker. The truth is he does most all the cooking and baking around here. Nothing against Sara' she continued 'but she sucks at that kind of thing.'

Ed Powell took a bite followed by a sip of tea.

She pointed to the bandage on his forehead. 'Does it hurt?' she asked out of the blue.

'Just a bit of a headache' he admitted between bites.

'When I saw you lying there in your kitchen, I just about shit my—' She stopped realizing the expression was somewhat vulgar. 'I just about had a kitten' she said instead.

He smiled. 'So you're the one who found me?'

She shrugged. 'I ran out to the back to see if I could see you.'

There was silence as they both ostensibly relived the moment. Caitlin had been waiting for the right moment to give the man the gift she'd picked up for him. This seemed like as good a time as any.

'I… I got you a little something' she said, getting to her feet and grabbing the gift from under the tree.

Ed was genuinely surprised; why was this young woman who he hardly knew be getting him a present? Their eyes locked for a moment, both seemingly ill at ease.

'It's really nothing… just…' she said, practically shoving it in his face.

'I don't know what to say…'

'Open it!' she urged.

He put his cup down and began unwrapping the gift, his pale blue eyes sparkling like a kid on Christmas morning. The sight of the familiar mug took him totally off guard and he gasped, tears forming in his eyes.

'Where did you get it?' he asked.

She shrugged, minimizing the gesture. 'It was only ten bucks' she said, immediately regretting having said it.

But he didn't seem to hear, he was busy examining the mug. 'This was part of the set of dishes we got for our wedding forty-seven years ago… I was never into that kind of thing but Estelle… she loved it and she used the dishes everyday. Her mother used to say _'Estelle, save your good dishes for special occasions!'_ but Estelle didn't believe in that kind of thing.'

He got a faraway look in his eyes, his frail hands still caressing the mug.

'She used to say _'Eddie…'_ — she always used to call me Eddie —_ '…every day is special and if we leave our good stuff locked up in a cupboard, we'll die without having gotten any joy from it.'_

Caitlin nodded; it sounded like good advice to her.

Ed Powell continued, his voice wistful. 'Stuff got broken over time but everyday she'd have her tea in the last remaining mug from our wedding dishes, treasuring it…'

He got choked up and a single tear fell onto his cheek. Without thinking, Caitlin's hand went to his and she squeezed it.

'Thank you' he whispered, unable to find his voice.

Caitlin sighed; she'd done good. And Ed Powell… well, he decided he wouldn't be listening to any more gossip about the girl who had moved in with the Caffreys.

WCWCWC

'Holy shit! You sound even worse than you did earlier' Cody said. He'd found a quiet spot on the staircase to take the call. From where he sat, he could see the revellers enjoying the party, wishing he felt lighthearted enough to partake in the festivities.

'Thanks a lot' Liam replied sarcastically. He sat on the floor in Carlos' Diner with a blanket wrapped around his shoulders, watching little Cody sleeping on the floor a few feet away. He'd entrusted Lester Jackson with keeping an eye on the child while he slipped away to make a quick call.

'How are you feeling?' asked Cody with a little more empathy.

'Even my eyeballs hurt…' Liam lamented before being overcome by a coughing fit. 'But I'll live… can't wait to get home.'

'So you're telling me you're spending Christmas Eve sleeping on the floor in a diner?'

'Yup. Something to tell my grandkids someday.'

Cody chuckled.

'So tell me' Liam continued, his voice rough. 'You all having a good time without me?'

'Not really… I mean yeah, it's a good party but… let's just say I'm not enjoying it much without you.'

Liam let his head fall back against the wall and closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth of Cody's voice.

'Are you eating right?' Cody asked.

'Who are you? My mother?'

Cody shook his head. 'You know what I mean. Are you watching your —'

Liam interrupted. 'Yeah, yeah, don't worry about it. After almost passing out this morning, I'm not taking any chances. I've been monitoring my levels all day. Tell my mom, okay? She worries about stuff like that.'

'Sure. So do I, by the way' Cody said with a sad smile.

'So do you what?'

'Worry about stuff like that.'

Liam felt a stab in his heart and stifled a sob. 'I miss you' he said simply.

'I know…'

'Cody…' Liam said, his voice emotional. 'I think I blew my exam.'

'What?'

'I… I left about thirty points on the table so that means I'm starting out with a maximum of seventy…'

'Stop it! You know this stuff inside out.'

'Yeah but that's no good if you don't have enough time to write down the answers.'

He took a deep breath and sneezed, letting the misery envelop him. He was wallowing in it. 'I could lose my spot on the team… and maybe my partial scholarship.'

'Stop it!' Cody repeated. 'You don't know that for sure.'

'My folks… they worked so hard to help me pay for all this. Tuition, living on campus… I don't want to disappoint them.'

'Liam, you're being ridiculous. Look, you're sick, you're tired… Try to get some sleep and when you get here tomorrow we'll talk it out. You'll see, it's not as bad as you think.'

Liam's eyes roamed the room. There were twenty or so people, some chatting quietly at tables, others playing cards, some actually lying on the floor with a pillow under their head. He glanced in Lester's direction. He was sitting with his back against the wall, doing the sudoku in the newspaper he'd been dragging around all day while little Cody slept on the floor covered with a warm blanket.

'I met a really cool guy' Liam said, his mind returning to his earlier conversation with Lester.

'Oh yeah, should I be worried?'

'Not that kind of cool just a —'

He stopped suddenly as little Cody stirred, sitting up and looking around - ostensibly for him.

'Liam? Don't leave me hanging babe.'

'Look, I'll have to text you later. Don't worry okay? And tell my mom I'm fine… oh, but don't tell her I'm sick.'

'Gotcha'

The line was quiet for a moment. 'Liam?'

'Yeah?'

'I love you.'

'Ditto' came the reply.

WCWCWC

It was well past eleven and the party was still going strong. Some of the younger kids like Chloe and the Jones' boys had fallen asleep where they sat, excited about Christmas Eve but exhausted by the late hour.

Cody decided to snap out of it and make the best of a bad situation. He headed back to join the others, crossing Neal on his path.

'Was that Liam on the phone?' Neal asked, his face taut.

'Yeah. He's fine. Says not to worry about him.'

Neal nodded but he knew better. 'He's not feeling any better, is he?'

Cody knew better than to answer that question with a lie. He shrugged instead.

'He sounds horrible.'

'He'll live' Neal replied, pretending to sound nonchalant.

'He says he's worried about his exam this morning.'

Neal nodded as he let out a long slow breath. His son… the perfectionist.

The two of them looked up, seeing Sara headed their way. She looked like a woman on a mission. Yikes!

'I'll handle it' Neal murmured in Cody's direction, encouraging him to slip away before she could assail him with a bunch of questions.

She caught up to the men, lifting her arm as Cody turned away. 'Wait a minute…' she began but he pretended not to hear and Neal caught her arm, keeping her from chasing after him.

'Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Where do you think you're going there, young lady?' he said, his voice light.

'Was that Liam on the phone?' she asked as he laced his arms around her in an effort to distract her.

'Yup'

She fidgeted, trying to get out of his grasp but he was holding strong.

'I want to talk to him' she said, her eyes searching for a phone. Landline, cell, she didn't care.

Neal wrapped his arms even tighter around her, momentarily trapping her. One word out of Liam's mouth and she'd know instantly just how sick he really was. That meant a sleepless night for her and consequently, for him.

'Honey, he's fine. He told Cody to tell you he's eating well and that he was going to sleep. He's had a long day… let's let him be.'

'But —'

'No buts' he began, grabbing her hand from behind and placing it on his perfectly round ass. 'Unless you're talking about this butt.'

She rolled her eyes at his stupid joke but still managed a small smile.

'Liam is a legal adult capable of taking care of himself. He doesn't need us doting over him, all right? Now, he's checked in, we know he's safe. Let him get some sleep.'

She sighed and frowned. 'I suppose' she said.

'Now come on, we've got some guests to see to' he said.

She nodded but instead of following him, she headed for the powder room, grabbing her purse as she went. Once inside, she pulled out her cell phone, sat on the toilet and began typing.

_'__Love you sweetie. Sleep tight and I'll see you tomorrow. Mom xx'_

She held the phone against her chest and felt herself start to breathe again.

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Cody rubbed his eyes and looked around the room, searching for Liam.

'It's okay buddy, I'm here' Liam said, crouching to meet his eyes. 'You having a bad dream?'

The child nodded and climbed back onto Liam's lap as he'd done before. Without a word, his eyes closed again and Liam settled against the wall next to Lester, covering the child's body with a warm blanket and reaching out for the hot cup of cocoa the man handed him. He shivered as he took a comforting sip.

'Carlos decided to diversify' Lester said with a grin. 'There's juice too if you want.'

There was silence for a moment. The room's lights had been turned down low for those who wanted to sleep but despite the dim lighting, Lester continued to study Liam's face.

'Was that your boyfriend on the phone?' he asked after a moment.

Liam looked at him with surprise. 'What gave me away?'

'You just looked a little intense… like when you're talking to that special someone.'

'I mean how did you know…'

'That it was a guy?'

Liam nodded.

'That blond waitress over there has been making goo-goo eyes at you all night and you haven't even noticed' he said pointing to one of the junior mamasitas.

Liam smiled. 'My life's an open book.'

'Not really, I just get a kick out of observing people. If you look carefully, people will always tell you exactly who they are by the way they behave.'

Liam wagged his eyebrows in disbelief. 'Wow, you didn't tell me the part about attending Sigmund Freud University' he quipped.

'It's just common sense' the man replied as he lifted his cup in a toast. 'See that young couple over there?'

Liam's eyes followed Lester's finger. 'She's about to dump him.'

Liam gave him a '_whatcha talkin' about Willis'_ look.

'I've been watching them. He's clingy like he's done something that needs forgiving. And she's sending all the signals that she's not taking any more of whatever crap he's been dishing out.'

'I don't know….' Liam said, remaining unconvinced.

The couple was sitting at one of the tables and she had thrown her head back, trying to rest her eyes. He kept rubbing her arm mindlessly. At one point, he leaned in closer and placed a kiss on her shoulder. The young woman moved her arm away, pushing her chair off to the side and giving him a look that… let's just say if looks could kill.

'See, see? I told you' Lester said proudly.

'So is this what you do for a living Lester? Observe people?'

'In a sense' he replied mysteriously.

Liam gave him a skeptical look. 'I'm going to need details.'

'First I want to know what's been bugging you' the man said unexpectedly.

'What makes you think something's bugging me?' Liam countered with a frown.

Lester raised an eyebrow, preparing to share his observations. 'Here's what I know about you.'

Liam turned slightly towards him so he could get a better look at his eyes. He could feel the chill of the wall through the back of his shirt and he let out an unsteady breath. To warm himself up, he tightened his grip around Cody, supporting the child's dead weight.

'You were raised in a very loving home. One sibling, maybe two at the most. You're close to both your parents but you confide in your dad more often than you do your mom - maybe because she worries about you. You have an incredible natural talent for sports but you hate all the hoopla and the p.r. side of things. You're modest but you don't hesitate to heap praise on others. When things bother you, you get this worry line across your forehead…'

Lester pointed and Liam touched his forehead self-consciously.

'You don't like to disappoint the ones you love and you'd rather stick a knife in your eye than walk away from someone who needs you.'

'Ewww!' Liam cried out as the image bloomed.

'And you're a perfectionist which means you're a worrier.'

Liam had to admit there was some accuracy to the description but he didn't believe for an instant that Lester Jackson had any special powers of deduction.

'You're just lucky…' he said. '…or you're a good listener.'

'Both' Lester said with a quiet chuckle.

Things grew quiet. 'So…' Lester finally said. 'What's wrong with Liam Caffrey's perfect little life?'

Liam took a deep breath. 'It's true, I do hate disappointing people. My folks… they've done so much for me.'

'All around great guy and star basketball player. Doesn't sound like that would be disappointing for most parents.'

Whether it was the still of the night, the intimacy created by the low lights or simply the unusual circumstances, Liam relaxed, feeling safe enough to open up to the stranger.

'I messed up' he confided.

'Do tell' said the man.

'This morning or yesterday…' he said, checking his watch. 'I had to write an exam to make up for the one I'd missed because of a meeting with my coaches. I couldn't sleep the night before… well, not until early morning anyway and I got there over an hour late. A whole hour!' Liam said quietly.

Lester nodded, inviting him to continue. 'I knew my stuff really well, you might say I was _over _prepared. And then, I noticed my sugar levels were low and I didn't have my lucky pen and I sort of panicked.'

'Lucky pen…' Lester repeated, taking it all in. Was that just a touch of derision the younger man picked up in his voice?

Liam ran his hand through his thick head of hair. 'Bottom line, I messed up and I'm pretty sure I flunked the exam. And now I'm sick and it's Christmas… and I'm away from Cody and my folks… and if I don't get at least sixty percent, I'll be off the team until I can make it up…'

He stopped to catch his breath.

'Wow!' Lester said with a mischievous sparkle in his eye. 'Really sucks to be you.'

Liam chuckled. With one hand he smoothed out a couple of blankets on the floor and lay young Cody on top, gently placing his head on a pillow.

'You're pretty good at that for a young guy' Lester commented.

'You think?' Liam asked. He liked kids just fine but he'd never really given them more than a passing thought.

'You ever think about having some of your own someday?'

The question took Liam by surprise. 'No. I mean not '_no I don't want any kids_, just '_no I never gave it much thought'_. Maybe… but it's not easy for… you know, gay couples.'

Lester nodded in understanding. 'That's a crying shame, so many kids out there who need loving families.'

'So who are _you_ Lester Jackson?' Liam asked. 'You're going to have to tell me because I'm nowhere near as perceptive as you are.'

'Think I'm going to need a refill if l'm going to tell you that' the man said, lifting his empty cup.

Liam got to his feet. 'Here, let me get that for you.'

WCWCWC

_The children were nestled all snug in their beds while visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads. And mamma in her kerchief, and I in my cap had just settled down for a long winter's nap._

Neal had been repeating the little ditty over and over again, trying to shut down his overactive brain and get some sleep. He glanced over to his left. Sara wasn't wearing a kerchief but she _was_ sound asleep. And not all his children were nestled snug in their beds. One of their precious babies was still out there somewhere.

He'd been the one to remind his wife that their son wasn't a helpless three-year-old anymore. But it wasn't quite that clear cut. Watching the kids leave for college… - first Hope, then Liam - … well, it had been a lot harder on him than he'd ever imagined. Of course with Sara, the heartache had been on the outside, on full display. One look in her eyes and you could actually see the sadness radiating off of her. He'd managed to keep his emotions in check, for his own sake as well as hers. So he'd been the one to say platitudes like: 'honey, it's the natural course of things' or 'this is what we wanted for them, isn't it?' or 'it's time for us to let them fly with their own wings' when what he'd really been thinking was 'where the hell has the time gone?'

Back when he was sitting in a dark lonely cell in Sing Sing, all he could think about was getting the hell out and going right back to his old life. He and Mozzie would reconnect and resume their quest to catch the big white whale, a quest which had been so rudely interrupted by Peter Burke and his band of merry men. Mozzie was never short on ideas and as front man, Neal got to spread his wings and do what he did best: paste on that smile and proceed to deceive, charm, cajole, delight, defraud, hoodwink, swindle, bamboozle or however else one described the art of the con he was so well suited for.

Sometimes, he still thought about the thrill of it all. The way it always started out as a small kernel of an idea only to grow into an intricately planned, perfectly executed job. On occasion, he would lie in bed and work out a con from its inception to its successful end - or he would relive a particularly daring job he and Moz had pulled during their worldwide travels. It kept his mind sharp and it was risk-free; win-win.

But these days, there were plenty of other things that made his heart beam with joy and pride. There was the way Sara looked at him, her eyes clear and bright, the sight of Hope so accomplished as she interacted with people at the gallery, the way Liam outmanoeuvred half the opposing team on his way to a slam dunk at the other end of the court and the pride he felt when Caitlin let her defences down and showed her true heart.

_The children were nestled all snug in their beds… _

Come on Caffrey, this is how it's _supposed_ to be. You do your best to raise them to be decent human beings and they grow up and strike out on their own and if you're lucky, sometimes you can see a hint of yourself in their eyes.

'What's wrong?' came Sara's sleepy voice as she turned in bed.

'Nothing… just going over tomorrow night's menu in my head.'

She slipped her arm around his waist and he felt her warm reassuring body against his.

His wife, his lover, his partner, his rock.

'Liar…' she quipped playfully as she nuzzled the side of his neck with the tip of her nose. 'Stop worrying, he'll be fine.'

WCWCWC

From the bar, Liam glanced over his shoulder at Lester Jackson. The man had reached over to make sure little Cody's body was shielded from the cold night air. He filled the two mugs with hot chocolate and added a dollop of whipped cream for good measure. It _was_ Christmas Eve after all. He thought about the house back in White Plains; it would be full of carollers right about now, all of them enjoying a festive drink of their own. He sighed and headed back where he'd been sitting to join the stranger, eager to hear his story.

'He's sleeping like an angel' Lester said as he took the mug from Liam's hands. 'Funny thing about kids, they can fall asleep almost anywhere.'

Liam picked up on a look of sadness in the man's eyes - maybe he _could_ draw conclusions by observing after all.

'You said earlier…' Liam began tentatively. '… that your son had been a diabetic.'

The man nodded. 'He was nine years old when he died. He and my wife were riding in a taxi on the way back from visiting her mom' he said, his voice surprisingly strong.

Liam swallowed, momentarily forgetting his woes. How were people able to talk about such tragedies without totally falling apart?

'He'd be about your age right about now…'

'I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to pry.'

'That's okay. They're both still with me' Lester said, bringing his hand to rest on his heart and giving it a quick tap. 'Of course it took an awful long time to get to this point. At first, I wanted to give up. There didn't seem to be any reason to go on without them. I pretty well drank myself into oblivion for the first six months or so.'

Liam's mind went to his dad; how the reality of what had happened to Hope had been too much for him to bear. How he'd almost given up on life until the moment when he realized he was dangerously close to losing everything that was dear to him.

'You think you can never go on when something this horrible happens to you. But you put one foot in front of the other, day after day, week after week, month after month and then the wound slowly starts to heal. Ever so slowly.'

The man's eyes grew distant but his gaze remained steady. 'But the scars… well, they never go away. Never.'

Liam took a sip of his hot drink. He shivered and pulled the blanket up to his neck. 'So how did you do it? How did you find the… the courage to carry on?'

'God sent me angel' the man said without hesitation.

WCWCWC

'Well, that was anti-climatic' Cameron said, facing Hope in bed.

The two of them lay on their sides in her old bedroom, the snow falling softly outside the third floor window.

'Yeah…' she said quietly.

'I hope Liam's okay' she added as an afterthought.

Cam scoffed. 'Your brother is a six-foot-two athlete who happens to be a very smart guy. I'm pretty sure he can deal with a few feet of snow.'

'I didn't mean physically, I know he can more than take care of himself. But when it comes to family, he's a big wuss.'

Cam nodded. It was true, his brother-in-law, not unlike his father-in-law, was a gentle soul devoted to family, a man who would do just about anything for the people he loved.

Hope sighed and squeezed the hand she was holding. 'You know, I'm sorry I opened my big fat mouth but I'm kinda glad Liam was the first to find out. It sort of gives us a… I don't know a connection I guess, even though he's far away.'

'I hope he makes it home before the end of the day tomorrow. Your mom was looking pretty upset.'

'There's something about the holidays I guess' Hope mused. 'She always gets really emotional at this time of year. Maybe she's thinking about her parents and what Christmas used to be like when she was a little girl.'

Cam nodded and leaned in, rubbing his wife's nose with his own. 'I can see how happy she is to have your aunt Emily here.'

'Do you know they spent over thirty years apart? My mom was only thirteen when Aunt Emily ran away. My dad kept offering to go looking for her but I think Mom was too scared he'd find out something horrible had happened to her. But you know my dad. He couldn't leave it alone so he got Uncle Peter to help him.'

Cameron had never really asked about the details surrounding Emily's return. Ever since he'd been a part of the Caffrey clan, Emily had always been there.

'Well, now she's here' he said. 'And she can hear our big news along with everybody else. Speaking of which, as soon as we tell your folks, we have to call the farm' he reminded her.

'How do you think your folks will take it?'

'Are you kidding? My mom's going to be over the moon.'

'Just your mom?'

'No! But my dad won't show it. He'll use that gruff voice of his and say something like 'Congratulations son!'' Cam said, his voice deep and serious.

Hope giggled. Cam did a pretty decent imitation of Fred Armstrong.

They'd been holding hands as they spoke and Cam pulled his away, sliding it down to Hope's belly and caressing it lovingly.

'Hey baby…' he murmured as Hope studied his face. 'Next Christmas, you are going to be the centre of attention. Everybody will be spoiling you. But this year, we get to have you all to ourselves.'

Hope relaxed to his touch. 'Goodnight baby' she murmured, her hand joining his on her flat belly. She bridged the distance between her and her husband, placing a gentle kiss on his lips.

'Goodnight Daddy.'

WCWCWC

The diner was quiet except for the occasional howl of the wind rattling the windows. The Suarez women had long been sent home and Carlos sat on a stool with his feet on the bar, checking regularly to make sure he didn't need to top up the snacks and drinks. There was really no need. Except for Liam and Lester, only one other couple was still awake, chatting quietly at a table. Everybody else had given up the fight and had found a way to nod off.

'I didn't have much going for me growing up except for my talent on the football field' Lester began. 'My coach in high school took me under his wing and when colleges came knocking, they were impressed with what I could do. I guess he was my first angel' he reflected.

'My folks didn't have much money. My mom worked cleaning houses and my dad was a driver for a wealthy business man. Don't forget this was the sixties, there was still a lot of racial unrest and not a lot of opportunities for people like my dad who didn't have an education.'

Liam's eyes were closed but he was listening to every word.

'So when I got a football scholarship at A&M, my folks were over the moon. Then, halfway through my second year, I got a call telling me my father had died suddenly of a heart attack. I flew home and it became obvious my mom needed some help. In the weeks after my dad died, she aged ten years and her back pain had become unbearable. So I quit school.'

'Just like that?' Liam asked, perking up.

'Just like that. It's not like I was doing gangbusters in my classes. At best, I was an average student but the university wanted me for what I could do for them on the field. Here I was, twenty-one years old without much in the way of prospects so the man my dad had been driving for offered me his old job. Just to tide us over.'

'That would be angel number two' the man said, glancing in Liam's direction.

Liam thought of his own life of privilege. An opportunity to get a degree while playing the sport he loved, having the full support of his family, living as an out gay man, being in love with a wonderful guy. Suddenly, the temporary aches and pains and the distance between himself and those he loved didn't seem so unbearable.

'I thought I would do it for a few years just to provide for my mom. She was unable to take care of herself so I stepped in' Lester continued.

He looked at Liam with a crooked smile. 'It wasn't like I had tons of other opportunities. It paid the bills and at that point, that was all that mattered to me.'

'So how long did you work for this guy?'

Lester held up a finger, urging Liam not to rush the story along. He was on a roll.

'Then, a third angel entered my life' he explained. 'A beautiful, sweet angel with sparkling brown eyes and delicate hands. Her name was Noreen. I'd known her since I was a kid, she'd lived up the street from my parents. Back then, she'd had crooked teeth and glasses as thick as coke bottle bottoms. But the summer she returned from studying at ECSU, the glasses were gone and those teeth… they were as straight as can be.'

Liam smiled. 'ECSU?' he asked.

'Elizabeth City State University, a historically Black college not far from home. She'd just finished a degree in business and not only was she beautiful, she was brilliant. We started seeing each other that summer and I fell head over heels in love. It took her a little longer but she finally fell victim to my charm and good looks' he said, wagging his eyebrows for emphasis.

Liam smiled. It was obvious this guy could persuade just about anybody of just about anything.

'Were you still driving for that man?'

'Wilford Paulson' he replied. 'Yes, I was. That fall, my mom got really sick with the flu and by Christmas it had turned into pneumonia. She didn't make it into the new year.'

'I'm sorry' was all Liam could think to say.

'Noreen and I got married the following spring and we moved into a little two-bedroom house in a suburb of Jacksonville. With two incomes we were able to make ends meet. Noreen got herself a job doing bookkeeping for a tax firm and me… I kept showing up at the Paulson estate every morning at 6:45 to drive the man around town.'

'What was he like? Mr. Paulson.'

'When you met him for the first time… well, he made you stand at attention. He was old money, ran the family business but there was a side of him that very few people ever got to see.'

Liam took out his pack of tissues and blew his nose loudly causing Cody to stir on his makeshift bed. Liam stared at him for a moment, hoping he hadn't woken him. The boy turned over and sighed and Liam returned his attention to the man who was turning out to be the best storyteller he had ever met.

'So what happened next?'

A smile spread across Lester's face. 'Next, the Lord sent me another angel. The best angel of all.'

'You had a baby?' Liam asked, totally engrossed.

Lester gave him the old finger point. 'You _have_ been paying attention, haven't you?'

'He was beautiful! Big brown curious eyes just like his mama. Noreen took a few months off and Mr. Paulson slipped us some extra cash to help with expenses. One day, just before Wesley was born, we came home and found out he'd sent some of his people over to totally refurbish the baby's room. Only the best of everything…'

Lester got that faraway look in his eyes again. 'Kept saying how proud my dad would have been that we named the baby after him.'

Liam noticed that their mugs were empty. His bladder, on the other hand, was not. He signalled that he had to visit the bathroom and Lester stood, intent on getting them some refills.

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

When he returned from his trip to the little boys' room, Liam glanced at his watch. It was well past midnight and the snow was still coming down. 'Merry Christmas' he whispered to himself. The diner had grown quiet; even the couple who'd been sitting up chatting had given up. They were now amongst the many snoozing bodies scattered all over the floor, mysterious lumps under warm blankets. Carlos meanwhile had stopped guarding the coffee pot and was sound asleep, his head lying on the bar.

Little Cody lay there with his thumb hanging out of his mouth, spittle dripping onto his pillow — sleeping the sleep of the innocent. Beside him, Lester's head was thrown back against the wall and for a moment Liam thought he might have fallen asleep.

Upon hearing Liam's quiet footsteps, the man opened his eyes and sat up.

'Tired?' he asked as Liam settled next to him and grabbed a blanket for warmth.

Being tired was the least of his problems. His shoulders were sore, his head was pounding, his eyes burned, his throat was scratchy. But above all else, he was curious about this man and his extraordinary life story.

'Exhausted' he admitted. 'But tell me what happened next.'

'Where was I?' the man asked.

'Your son. Wesley.'

Lester took a deep breath as if he needed to summon up strength in order to continue.

'Wesley… He was perfect. He had his mom's brains and big brown eyes and my dashing good looks and physique.'

Lester winked and Liam smiled. 'He did well at school and had lots of friends. Noreen and I were happy. We got to work trying to make other babies but it just wasn't working out. We poured all the love we had into our little boy. He was our pride and joy. One weekend when he was nine, Noreen decided to go visit her folks up in Goldsboro. She and Wesley took a bus and I stayed behind because Mr. Paulson needed me for the weekend.'

Except for the sound of Carlos' snoring, the room went totally still.

'They never came back' Lester murmured.

Liam thought he saw the flicker of a tear in the man's eye but he couldn't be certain.

'I'm sorry' he repeated again although the words seemed trite.

'I fell apart. Nothing meant anything anymore. I stopped going to work, stopped eating, started hitting the booze pretty hard. I began to live to forget. I thought about doing myself in a couple of times but someone over my pay grade had decided that wasn't my destiny.'

'After a couple of weeks of wallowing in self-pity, I got a surprise visit from Mr. Paulson. It was the first time he'd ever been to our house - always said he didn't want to intrude on our private life. He was a fairly slight man but somehow, he got me on my feet, packed me a bag and threw me in the back of his limo in the direction of his estate. It was the first and only time that _he_ drove _me _instead of the other way around. He set me up in a room in his house, fed me, listened to me moan and cry. He hired someone to replace me for a couple of months and told me he'd wait for me to get my shit together.'

'Did you?'

'Not right away. Apparently, I'm not a very quick learner' Lester said with a faraway smile.

'So what happened?'

'After a while, he gave me an ultimatum. Called it tough love. He found me some help, an AA group, a therapist who helped me work things out. Told me I had three more months to get my shit together or he'd kick me out.'

Liam's mind flashed back to the intervention they'd had for his dad, how painful and humiliating it had been for him, how difficult it had been for everyone who loved him. How much his mom had suffered at seeing the man she loved reduced to a shadow of his former self. Thank heavens he had come back to them.

'So did he kick you out?'

'Didn't have to. At some point, I'm not sure when or why, something clicked and I realized all the blessings I'd had in my life.'

Considering the losses the man had suffered, it was difficult to imagine being thankful for anything and yet Liam noticed how he smiled as he spoke, recalling all those people who had disappeared from Lester's life over the years.

'But…'

Lester held up his hand. 'I know what you're going to say. That I'd lost everyone I loved. How could that possibly be a blessing?'

Liam nodded.

'Well, I realized that instead of wallowing, I could be grateful that I'd had all those wonderful people in my life to begin with and that maybe there were others out there who needed their own angel to remind them of what they had.'

Liam's head throbbed as he puzzled out what Lester had just said. It was a unique take on a very painful existence and yet the man looked serene, at peace. Underneath the surface, he could only guess at the scars hidden there, the ones Lester had referred to earlier.

'What about those scars?' Liam murmured.

'They're still there. How could it be otherwise? Not to have those scars would be to deny the existence of all those people I was lucky enough to have known and loved. If I didn't have them, I might not be inspired to reach out to others who need a leg up, like I did.'

Liam felt a heaviness inside, his body barely holding on, fighting the fever, the chills, his mind struggling to understand the wisdom he'd been privy to.

'Now…' Lester said, getting to his feet. 'Why don't you ask me what you really want to know?'

Liam frowned. 'What do you mean?'

Lester nodded in the direction of the nearby table where the beautiful wooden box sat undisturbed.

'Ask me what's in the box.'

WCWCWC

Caitlin woke to the sound of coughing. Coughing she didn't recognize. She slipped out of bed and followed the sound, not terribly surprised to find it was coming from Liam's room. She tiptoed out of bed, the sound of her foster dad's snoring coming from across the hall and she pressed her ear against the door to Liam's room. The coughing resumed and she gave the door a quiet knock.

'Mr. Powell' she whispered as she opened the door a crack.

'Sorry' he mumbled, his voice rough. 'I think I might need my inhaler.'

'I'll get it for you' Caitlin said, stepping all the way into the room.

He pointed to his overnight bag. 'It's in there. I only cough like this when I get anxious. It's gotten worse since Estelle died.'

Caitlin nodded as she handed him his bag. 'Would you like a glass of water?'

He nodded and proceeded to take his medication. She was back in an instant, carrying a glass which she handed to him.

'You've all been so kind to me' the man said. 'I wasn't looking forward to Christmas this year. Estelle… she was the one who liked to do it up big. Being here with all of you reminds me of all that's good about Christmas.'

Caitlin settled on the edge of his bed. Old people had so much to give, so much experience, so much wisdom.

'Do you go to school?' he asked her.

'I go to Pace, I'm studying to be a teacher' she replied with pride.

'Noble profession' he commented. 'Did you know I taught high school for almost forty years?'

'Really?'

'Yup, not too far from here, at White Plains High.'

'That's where I went to school' she declared. 'Well, the last couple of years anyway.'

'I would have been long gone by then' the man said. 'But I'm guessing you would have been a wild one.'

Caitlin frowned and pouted. 'What do you mean?'

'The bright ones usually are. You see, school wasn't designed for smart kids who think outside the box. Those kids get bored and so they act up, get a bad reputation. As a teacher, the trick is to try to engage them, tap into their brilliant minds, give them a challenge.'

Caitlin listened. Lesson 101 in teaching.

'The mistake most teachers make is to reward the students who conform to the rules when they really should be rewarding those who colour outside the lines. Those kids are leaders and if you give them a focus, suddenly all those discipline problems evaporate.'

She sure could have used a teacher like Mr. Powell when she was in high school. 'What did you teach?' she asked.

'English lit' he said with pride. 'Might sound boring but nothing could be further from the truth. There are so many lessons to be gleaned from the greats. Reading lets your imagination run wild, it plants seeds, gets you thinking, inspires you.'

'You're not just an old man, are you?' she asked, covering her mouth. 'Sorry, I didn't mean…'

'That's okay. I _am_ an old man. And proud of it. My sainted mother was French and she used to say: 'Si jeunesse savait, si vieillesse pouvait'.'

Caitlin stared back, her limited knowledge of French sadly not much help.

He pulled the blankets up, signalling the end of their 'lesson'.

'Look it up' he said, turning in the bed.

Dismissed, Caitlin stood and tucked the man in.

'Good night Mr. Powell' she whispered before tiptoeing out of the room.

WCWCWC

To say Liam hadn't been intrigued by the wooden box would have been a lie. Ever since he'd first seen Lester in the bus terminal cradling it on his lap, he'd been wondering what was hidden inside.

'I just… I noticed that whatever's in there seems really important to you.'

'You're learning the art of observation grasshopper!' Lester said with a naughty grin.

'You're right. It _is_ important. _Very _important. It symbolizes what I'm trying to do with my life and it's a reminder of why I do it.'

Now, that seemed just as mysterious as the contents of the box itself.

'After I got back on my feet, I went back to working for Mr. Paulson' Lester said, carrying on with the tale. 'By then, he was just plain old Wilford. He was getting on in years and I became more of a companion to him than anything else. I moved to the guest house on his property, I'd run errands for him, we'd play chess, sometimes I'd read to him, keep him company. He would tell me stories about my dad, how proud he'd been of me, what a good son I'd been… you know stuff my dad had never told me while he was alive. It was a gift from beyond the grave, Sometimes, Wilford would visit the office maybe once a week but he began to get bored with the business.'

'What kind of business was it?'

'It's called Paulson Pewter… anything pewter. Like tea sets, jewelry, flatware, stuff like that. Wilford never had children and when his wife passed away, he decided he wanted to do something more meaningful with his life than to manufacture baubles. About eight years ago, he set up a charitable foundation and he began to pour most of his profits into it. He suggested I go back to school so at the ripe old age of sixty-two, I started taking classes in non-profit management and fundraising. He put me in charge of the foundation and when he died, he left everything to me.'

Liam glanced at the old worn coat and cap Lester had set aside; he sure as hell wasn't using his inheritance to shop at Bergdorf Goodman.

'Now I run the foundation and I keep an eye on the business.'

Liam grew curious. What did all this have to do with the big wooden box?

'We fund a bunch of services to support people who are struggling. Some of them never got a decent break, others are re-integrating their community after a stint in jail or some other hardships like medical bills. We run thrift shops, food banks and re-entry programs to help people get back on their feet. So that families don't get torn apart, we fund about two dozen day care programs, that way parents can make a living and not have to worry about their kids. I spend most of my time on the road visiting our installations but at Christmas, I like to go visit one of the families who use our services just to get a sense of what more we should be doing to help.'

'So where are you headed this time?'

'This year, I'm having dinner with the Watson family in the Bronx. We send over everything they need for Christmas dinner and they invite me into their homes. What's in that box is my gift to them.'

Lester got to his feet and walked over to the table, lifting the mystery box and bringing it over to where Liam sat trying to keep warm. He lay it on the floor and gave a wistful smile.

'Go ahead' he said. 'Open it.'

WCWCWC

It didn't take long for Caitlin to settle back into her warm bed and float away. Perhaps it was her conversation with Mr. Powell, perhaps it was just the fact that it was Christmas Eve… regardless her dreams came alive with thoughts of Linda Bennett. Not the elderly Linda Bennett she'd known and loved but the young, energetic Linda Bennett she would only ever know in her dreams. While she slept, she and her grandmother sat and chatted. Caitlin told her about going to school, how she knew she was doing the right thing, how she felt inspired to help kids who'd had a rough beginning in life. Linda told her how proud she was of her and how the hard times Caitlin had known would serve her well as a teacher. Then they just sat and held hands for a while.

WCWCWC

Liam was transported to a time when he was just a kid, unwrapping a gift under his parents' watchful eyes on Christmas morning. That moment when, no matter how terrific the gift is, the anticipation you feel while caressing the wrapped package in your hands is even greater.

That moment when what's hidden underneath the colourful paper remains a mystery and anything is possible.

'It won't bite you' Lester said, placing it on his lap.

Liam placed his hand on the rich dark wood. Mahogany? Walnut? He had no idea. It was rich and dark and had the image of a decorated Christmas tree carved into it's ornate lid.

'It's gorgeous' he said, running his hand over it and feeling every nook and cranny.

'It's black walnut. I carved it myself by hand. Learned how to do it from my dad' Lester said, eyes resting on the box.

For the first time since they'd sat down together on the hardwood floor of Carlos' Diner, Liam could see emotion on Lester Jackson's face. He had just narrated the story of his life, a story full of twists and turns, of ups and downs, of joy and sorrow and he hadn't shown much emotion at all. But this box seemed to be triggering emotions deep inside.

'It means a lot to me…' Lester said, emotion in his voice. 'It's sort of a link between the past and the future. Using the skills my daddy taught me when I was a little boy to create something that symbolizes a better future for families who are struggling.'

Liam felt a lump in his throat. He'd been moaning and complaining about feeling sick, worrying about his exam, lamenting the fact he was separated from Cody for an extra day, that he hadn't been home for the Christmas Eve carolling. The words 'first world problems' popped into his head. He had so much to be grateful for and yet he'd been so wrapped up in his own personal misery, he couldn't see the forest for the trees.

'Well go on!' Lester said, giving Liam a shove with his elbow.

Liam complied, lifting the hinged lid. It was smooth yet sturdy, and crafted with much love and attention to detail. It felt solid and heavy in his hands - just like the man who'd been carrying it around. The inside of the box was lined with gorgeous bright red velvet and was divided into a dozen square compartments that each held cream coloured silk pouches tied up with a golden braid. Liam looked up at Lester and the man nodded, urging him to pick one of the small pouches up. Liam noticed a few others about the same size appear underneath, perhaps three or four deep.

The silk was soft and luxurious and Liam gently tugged on the braid tie, watching as a beautiful pewter tree ornament tumbled out and onto his hand.

'I have them made at the factory by my head whitesmith' Lester explained. 'They're all individually carved.'

Liam turned the ornament over in his hand, examining the finite details. It was a snowman with a top hat and mittens. The scarf looked so lifelike, he ran his fingers to the tip, almost expecting it to bend to his touch.

'This is gorgeous. It looks so lifelike' he said, admiring the piece. 'So, all these…' he said.

'All different individually handcrafted pieces' Lester explained as he handed Liam a second one.

This one was a beautifully crafted gingerbread house complete with delicate trim and fine detail. Liam turned it over in his hand, noticing handwritten script underneath. He squinted in the poorly lit room. It read 'Home'.

He checked the first one he'd looked at. 'Courage' it read.

'Each one has an inspirational word carved into it. Tomorrow night, the Watson family will pick the one that speaks to them and put it up on their tree. Hopefully, it'll inspire them to look to the future with optimism.'

Unsure whether it was a plain old runny nose or unexpected emotions bubbling inside him, Liam wiped his nose with his sleeve.

'So…' Lester said as he prepared to return the small treasures to their hiding place. '…now you know what I keep in the box.'

Surprisingly, Liam realized his eyes were damp and he awkwardly swiped at them while holding the box steady so Lester could return the treasures to their spot.

As if his body had finally given up, Liam felt himself wilt. The fever he'd been running burned his eyes and caused his head to droop.

'Looks like we better get a little shuteye. Tomorrow's the big day.'

Without the energy to keep his eyes open a second longer, Liam let himself slide down to the floor. He grabbed for a nearby pillow and an extra blanket. One last glance to make sure Cody was all right and he gave in to the overwhelming fatigue. Before he even felt his head hit the pillow, he was sound asleep.

TBC


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

When the kids were little, there was no such thing as sleeping in on Christmas morning. They would stand outside Neal and Sara's room, doggedly calling out for their parents to get up so they could go downstairs and open their gifts.

Instead of those long ago sounds, Neal heard quiet footsteps outside their bedroom door and he sat up, getting his bearings. Christmas morning… Emily visiting… Hope and Cam upstairs… Ed Powell asleep across the hall… friends coming for dinner… Liam…

Liam! He immediately pounced on his cell phone to check for messages. Nothing.

_'__What's happening?' _he texted before putting down his phone.

'Any word?' came Sara's sleepy voice.

'Not yet. He's probably still sleeping.'

'Is that coffee I smell?' she asked, sniffing the air.

'Someone's already up' Neal replied, his feet landing on the cool floor with a thud.

The aroma of fresh brewed coffee morphed into the distinctive smell of bacon and eggs and the sound of chatter coming from downstairs. Apparently, other members of the family were eager to get the day started. Neal and Sara slipped into their robes and started down the stairs towards the sounds and smells beckoning them.

'Good morning!' Emily called out as they stepped into the kitchen.

'Merry Christmas!' called out Ed Powell. He was sitting at the kitchen table fully dressed, nursing a cup of coffee and looking much more rested than the day before.

Caitlin, meanwhile was on bacon duty at the stove.

'It smells wonderful down here' Sara said, reaching for a couple of mugs. She filled them both with coffee and, handing one to Neal, she proceeded to take a seat next to their neighbour.

'How did you sleep?' she asked the man.

There was a discreet exchange of looks between him and Caitlin before he replied. 'Like a baby.'

Neal already had the phone to his ear, looking disappointed. 'He's not answering' he said. 'I wonder if Cody's heard anything.'

He took a moment to tap out another text and poked his head in between Emily and Caitlin. 'What can I do to help?'

Emily's arm was out, pushing him away. 'Nothing. Now go sit down. You're always catering to all of us now it's our turn to make you breakfast.'

Neal didn't argue. Instead, he took a seat alongside his wife and Ed Powell. From the window, he could see the accumulation of snow in their backyard. It looked like a veritable winter wonderland, except for a few footprints where Raffie had wandered out to do his early morning business.

'Finally… it's stopped' he said. Now that the storm had passed, they would be able to dig themselves out and resume normal life. 'I'll be able to shovel us out before everybody gets here for dinner.'

Sara stared outside, her gaze fixed on the pretty winter scenery, the morning sun shining brightly on the perfectly immaculate snow.

'If they leave soon, Liam could be here my mid-afternoon.'

She picked up Neal's phone and checked again for any new text messages. 'I don't understand why he hasn't texted since last night.'

Neal took a sip from his mug and hummed in appreciation. 'Maybe his battery died and he didn't get a chance to recharge his phone.'

It sounded logical enough but the worry lingered. Unsatisfied with the status quo, Sara dialled the Millers' number and waited for someone to pick up.

'Honey put that down' Neal whispered in a quiet reprimand. 'It's only seven thirty and besides, I've already texted Cody.'

She gave him a dismissive look. She would not be deterred from her mission.

'Mindy' she said into the phone. 'Merry Christmas!'

Neal watched the determined expression on her face; when Sara Ellis put her mind to something, there was no stopping her.

'It _was_ an awful lot of fun, wasn't it?' she replied to something Mindy said. 'Neal and I were really glad you could come.'

He stared at her, eyebrows raised, silently chastising her. She simply turned away so she wouldn't have to suffer his glare. 'Listen, I'm sorry to call so early but I was wondering… is Cody up?'

Apparently he was. Because the next thing Neal heard was his wife asking if he'd heard anything from Liam.

'You're right, that's encouraging' she said as Neal frowned in frustration. One sided conversations were entirely unsatisfactory in his experience.

'All right' Sara said. 'Well, call if you hear anything and we'll do the same.'

'What?' Neal said the moment she hung up. 'What did he say?'

She glared back. Now that she'd taken the initiative to call, he was all for hearing what Cody had had to say.

'The buses are running again and the bus from Syracuse is scheduled to arrive at around three.'

They were distracted by the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs, Cam followed closely by Hope. They were both wearing bright red matching pyjamas, their eyes still small from sleep.

'Good morning Caffreys!' Cameron called out with a wave of his hand. He walked over to Sara and gave her a peck on the cheek. 'Merry Christmas' he called out before making his way to Emily and Caitlin and doing the same.

Hope lagged behind him, looking a little peaked. Sara was instantly on her feet, pouring them each a cup of joe. One look at her daughter's face and she stopped dead in her tracks.

'You okay honey? You're looking a little pale.'

Hope forced a smile. She could feel her stomach churning in reaction to the smells emanating from the stove top. Sadly, she was becoming familiar with the sinking feeling deep in her gut. Dammit, she was going to throw up.

Cam looked at his wife, recognizing the strained look on her face; he'd seen it a few times over the last couple of weeks. If they didn't want to spill the beans before it was time, he needed to come to her aid.

'We didn't sleep all that well' he lied, hoping to throw suspicion off his wife.

'I'm just going to…' Hope said, pointing in the direction of the powder room by the front door. Unable to finish her sentence, she quickened her pace, closing the bathroom door behind her just in time to make use of the porcelain bowl all the while trying to keep her moans to a minimum.

She glanced at herself in the mirror; she looked as white as a ghost. This was certainly not how she'd planned on sharing the big news about the baby. She thought of their little announcement, jotted down on a tiny piece of paper and tucked away under the tree. As soon as Liam got home, they would be able to come clean and have a proper celebration. She threw some water on her face and pinched her cheeks until they bloomed a soft pink and she stepped out, hoping to pull off the charade.

One deep cleansing breath and the aroma of bacon filled her nostrils, triggering her gag reflex once more.

Her stomach did a violent flip-flop and she marched right back into the bathroom.

WCWCWC

'Liam!' came the urgent sound of a woman's voice. It sounded like it was coming through a hollow tube originating from somewhere in outer space. Liam blinked in response to the bright daylight as little Cody's face stared down at him, obliterating most of his field of vision.

'Honey, give him some space' came the same gentle voice as Cody disappeared from view and was replaced by Lidia's smiling face. She was holding a wet cloth on his forehead, sweet relief from the burning sensation that was emanating from every pore of his body.

'You're burning up' she said, handing him a glass of water. 'Have a little bit of this.'

'Juice…' Liam said, coming to. 'I need juice.'

A hand appeared with a glass of orange juice and Lidia held his head up while he took a long, slow sip. His mouth felt as if it had been stuffed with cotton balls. The cool juice felt blissfully refreshing on the way down and Liam sipped greedily until he'd swallowed half of the glass' content. An extra pillow was slipped under his head, giving him a different view of the room. There were several people standing around, their faces curious and worried. A woman stood behind Lidia holding her baby daughter while her mother tended to him.

Great! That was just what he needed, an audience to watch him in the throes of the worst flu ever experienced by mankind. He felt his body trembling, no doubt in response to a plunge in his blood sugar levels. With shaky hands, he took another big swig of juice, waiting for it to do its thing.

'Here' Lidia said, taking his arm. 'Try sitting up if you can.'

Liam could hear the words but was having trouble making sense of them. His ears were ringing, his head was thumping and he struggled to comply. Lidia helped him sit up and the next thing Liam knew, there were two men, one on either side of him, supporting his weight and hoisting him onto a chair.

Lidia was ready with two Tylenol tablets which she handed to him. He threw the meds back and drained the glass of juice which now sat on the table. His throat felt like sandpaper and every single muscle in his body was strained from having slept on a hard floor.

Little Cody sat there quietly, staring at him, not quite understanding why his new bestie looked like death warmed over.

'Where's Lester?' Liam asked, his voice raw.

'Lester?' Lidia repeated.

'Yeah… Lester.'

Was he delirious? Had he been dreaming?

'Liam…' Lidia explained patiently. 'the bus is getting ready to leave. We're going to help you get on board, okay? And then I'll sit with you and make sure you're all right.'

Liam's brow furrowed. He was confused. Why was he feeling so much worse than he had the night before?

'I need to eat something' he said, his voice weak. 'And I should check my levels.'

'You're diabetic?' she asked as he nodded.

'Liam, look at me' she said gently but firmly. 'Let's get you on the bus first, okay? I'm a nurse and I'll check you out once we get settled. Do you have a glucometer?'

He squinted, feeling the burning in his eyes. Finally, he nodded.

At the table next to him, little Cody struggled to get into his coat and the woman who'd been holding his little sister moved in to help him carry out the task.

Lidia, meanwhile, was focussed on dealing with an ailing Liam. She coaxed him to his feet and he got up unsteadily, his head spinning. He faltered but held on to her, waiting for his vision to stabilize. As if he were a three-year-old, Lidia helped him slip on his coat and buttoned it up for him while he stood there helplessly. The pounding in his head was so loud, he could barely think.

Liam took her arm, leaning on her. He had a random thought for just how strong she was for such a tiny woman. His legs felt like spaghetti, weak and shaky. He might have nodded off for a moment because when he became aware of his surroundings, he was on the bus and Lidia was sitting next to him, testing his levels and taking his temperature. He felt like a rag doll and he let his eyes flutter closed as she worked.

As if coming to life, Liam's eyes grew and he stared at Lidia, suddenly alarmed. 'Cody…' he murmured, his eyes pleading.

'Cody's fine' she replied calmly, pointing to the other side of the aisle where her son sat quietly. 'See, he's sitting right there.'

'No, no' Liam protested. He was having trouble keeping his eyes open. They were burning as if they were going to pop out of their sockets. 'Cody!' he insisted. '_My_ Cody… I need to call him.'

He reached for his pocket and fiddled without success to pull out his phone.

'I got it' Lidia said, coming to his aid. His face shattered as he noticed the battery had died.

Lidia was immediately in solution mode. 'Here, give it to me. Where's your charger?'

He pointed to the zipper on the outside of his backpack, doing his best to keep his eyes open.

'Now come on, I need you to take a few bites of this' she said, holding a granola bar to his lips. He balked like a spoiled child.

'You can do it. And then I'll stop bothering you and you can go back to sleep.'

Her voice was so firm and reassuring, he believed her. Despite the alarm he'd been feeling moments before, he relaxed and felt himself start to fade.

WCWCWC

'Honey… remember when I was first pregnant with Hope?'

'Sure' Neal said, reaching for a pair of socks in his underwear drawer. 'Why? You trying to tell me something?'

She rolled her eyes at him.

'Bacon' she cried out, not the response he'd been expecting.

He stared back, puzzled. 'Bacon?' He shrugged. 'Yeah, the smell of it used to make you sick to your stomach.'

She waited a few seconds to see if he'd noticed the same thing she had.

'What?' he finally said. 'Why are you bringing up bacon?'

'Didn't you notice how pale Hope looked at breakfast. She didn't touch the bacon on her plate… she usually eats half a pound to herself. I think the smell was making her sick.'

Neal slipped off his sleep pants and stood there buck naked as he tugged on a pair of black boxer briefs.

He shook his head. 'Really? Babe, I think you're imagining things. Maybe, she was just feeling a bit hungover. How much did she have to drink last night?'

Sara gave that some thought. She certainly hadn't been monitoring her daughter's alcohol consumption, that's for sure.

'I don't know…' she admitted. 'But I felt like I was looking in the mirror when I saw that look on her face just now.'

'Just because the smell of bacon made _you_ sick when you were pregnant doesn't mean it would have the same effect on her. Besides, Hope would never be able to keep a secret like that… she's a chatterbox.'

'Mr. C' came a voice from the other side of their bedroom door. 'There's someone on the phone for you.'

WCWCWC

By mid-morning, with the roads clear, the bus was zooming right along through cities and towns while Liam snoozed, oblivious to it all. Lidia hadn't budged from his side, checking his temperature and sugar levels every hour or so and making sure he stayed properly hydrated. Across the aisle from where she sat, little Cody slept, making up for the excitement of the last twenty-four hours while baby Maya lay in her arms, gurgling.

She'd been employed as a public health nurse for the past twelve years and she'd dealt with plenty of diabetics. She knew how tricky things could get when you got the cold or flu. In Liam's case, it had hit hard and she knew all too well how infections played havoc with keeping sugar levels on an even keel. His temperature had begun to come down thanks to the meds she'd been feeding him. She was eager to get in touch with this Cody guy but Liam's phone was acting up. She took his hand and lifted his shirt sleeve, relieved to find his medical alert bracelet staring back at her. She picked up her phone and dialled.

WCWCWC

Cameron had climbed onto the bed behind his wife and was giving her shoulders a good vigorous rub.

'I'm sorry you have to go through this sweetie' he whispered in her ear.

Slowly, the colour was returning to Hope's cheeks. Not only had she emptied her stomach but she'd barely been able to get anything down. Now, she was feeling hungry again.

'Was my mom looking at me weird at breakfast?' she asked, over her shoulder.

'What do you mean, weird?'

'I don't know… just like, maybe she knows.'

'How could she possibly know?' he replied. 'Unless she has x-ray vision or Dr. Cooper called and told her.'

'No, but she _does_ have 'mother's intuition'. She knows I wasn't in the bathroom checking my make-up.'

'What? Your mom knows your bathroom habits now?'

'No, but… she always knows when I've got something on my mind.'

'That's just because you wear your heart on your sleeve' he said, pressing down a little harder between her shoulder blades. 'Just like your dad.'

'Ouch' she moaned. 'Gentle!'

Cameron kept working on the knot as she sighed in relief. 'It's easy to know what's on your mind, always has been.'

She turned to face him, eyes naughty.

'Oh yeah?' she teased, running a single finger down his chest provocatively. 'So what am I thinking right now?'

He wagged his eyebrows. As a rule of thumb, they tried to avoid having sex when they were staying over at the Caffreys. His wife tended to be rather… vocal during lovemaking.

'I thought you didn't like making out right above your parents' bedroom' he said in a tone that let her know he was more than open to the idea.

He brought his hand to rest on her hip and moved in a little closer.

'I don't' she said, giving him a playful shove. She hopped off the bed and took his hand, coaxing him to stand up.

'But I'm dying for some of your chocolate chip pancakes.'

WCWCWC

'Is this Mr. Caffrey? Liam's father?' came the voice on the phone.

Neal's heart began to pump faster; this couldn't possibly be good news.

'First of all, he's fine' she said without hesitation. She'd talked to enough worried parents in her job to know what it was like to be on the edge of your seat, imagining the worst.

'Well, he's not _fine_ exactly…' she admitted. 'But he_ is_ safe. He's gotten the flu and he's running a high fever —'

'He's diabetic' Neal said, cutting her off.

Sara stood beside him, both of them standing half dressed in the middle of their bedroom. She'd gotten a good hold of his arm and was leaning in, trying to listen in to the conversation.

'I know…' Lidia said. 'He told me and I've been monitoring his fever and his —'

Neal interrupted her once again. 'Sorry to be blunt but… who the hell _are_ you?' he asked.

'I'm sorry. I should have opened with that. My name is Lidia Gordon. I'm a nurse and I'm a passenger on the bus with Liam. Yesterday, he was feeling under the weather but this morning, he woke up with a raging fever of 103 and his blood sugar levels had dropped. I've got him stabilized for now and his fever is slowly coming down.'

'Oh my God!' Neal said, letting out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

He covered the handset and spoke to Sara. 'He's fine.'

Sara squeezed his arm tighter and he winced and pulled away.

'He's been sleeping pretty well non stop so since we left. I thought I'd call and let you know what's going on. You're down as the emergency contact on his MedicAlert bracelet.'

'Of course… thank you' Neal said. 'Thank you so much. We've been worried sick about him.'

'Oh and he's been moaning about somebody called Cody. He's even saying his name in his sleep. I just couldn't access his phone to get a number.'

'That's fine. We'll take care of it. Again, thank you so much for looking out for him.'

'Your son is a really sweet guy' she said. 'He really hit it off with my little boy.'

Neal nodded and smiled; that sounded about right. 'Oh and Lidia' he said before hanging up, 'Merry Christmas.'

TBC


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

'What? What is it? Why is someone calling about Liam? What's wrong with him?'

Sara's voice was loud, strident, her tone alarmed. So much for not being totally honest with his wife. Neal should have known by now that no matter how well intentioned he might be, that _never_ worked out. He took a moment to formulate his answer, channelling his former conman self as he placed his hand on Sara's arm hoping to ground her.

'Yesterday, when I talked to him, he was getting a cold' he admitted, hoping to soften the blow. But it did nothing of the sort.

'You _knew_ he was sick and you didn't tell me?' It was an accusation more than a question.

'Would you have gotten any sleep last night if I'd told you?' he retorted, suddenly on the defensive.

She ignored the question and kept her eyes glued to his.

No more hedging on the truth, it was time to come clean. 'Apparently, it's more of a flu. Overnight, his fever spiked and he's been pretty well out of it all day. That was a woman he befriended on the bus. Her name is Lidia. Lucky for Liam, she's a nurse and she's been keeping an eye on him.'

'What about his —'

'She's on it. The last time she checked, he was at 5.2.'

Sara had developed a rather irrational fear when it came to her son's diabetes. Her maternal grandmother had passed away of complications from the disease and even though Liam had learned to successfully manage his condition at a young age, he'd had a couple of mishaps that had left her jittery. With his regular regimen of diet and exercise, he had things pretty well under control but all bets were off whenever he got sick.

'I just want him home Neal' she said, her eyes tearing up.

'I know baby, I know' he said, grabbing her by the neck and pulling her into him. 'So do I. The good news is, he'll be here in just a couple of hours.'

He pulled away, reaching for the phone. 'I'm going to let Cody know what's going on' he said absentmindedly. 'Maybe I should go along with him, help him with Liam's stuff.'

Finally, he reflected, their family would be back together again.

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'Liam' came the soft, gentle voice. The voice of an angel.

He opened his eyes, dazed and confused. He was staring sideways at the back of somebody's head and he realized with consternation that he was curled up next to Lidia, his head on her shoulder. His mind was foggy but the constant banging in his head had been reduced to a soft thud.

'What happened?' he asked, sitting up. The movement only made his head feel worse.

'You're running a fever. But we're almost there' she replied with a smile.

Across the aisle, little Cody sat with his tablet on his lap and the woman who'd been there earlier was seated next to him holding Lidia's baby in her arms.

'Really? We're almost there?' Time and space became fluid. How long had he been sleeping anyway?

He forced himself to crane his neck, looking around the bus.

'Where's Lester?'

Lidia frowned. 'Who's Lester? You kept saying his name in your sleep. Him and Cody… although I doubt you were dreaming about my son' she said with a smile.

'Lester… you know, the guy I was sitting with at dinner. The guy I was up talking to half the night.'

This was the most coherent he'd sounded since she'd first laid eyes on him that morning and yet nothing was making any sense.

'I don't know who you're talking about Liam. After dinner last night, I went over to say goodnight before heading over to the motel and Cody started acting up, saying he wanted to stay with you. But I didn't see you sitting with anyone.'

'So Cody slept with me at the diner?'

'Yeah but when I got back this morning, you'd gotten a lot worse.'

Liam's eyebrows creased as he tried to recall the details of what had happened.

She touched his forehead, in that way his mom always did. 'You've been running a really high fever all day, it's not surprising you're a little confused…

'I'm _not_ confused!' he said adamantly. 'Lester… the guy with that beautiful wooden box.'

She looked at him with a kind smile - the kind that was meant not to upset someone who was obviously off his rocker.

'Don't look at me that way' he said, his voice so loud it made him wince.

'Which way?'

'_That_ way!' he pointed to her face. 'Like you're humouring me.'

'I'm not humouring…' She took a deep breath. 'Liam, fever dreams can seem all too real.'

He turned to look out the window, seeing the abundance of snow that had accumulated along the highway. Was it possible he'd imagined his whole conversation with Lester Jackson? He definitely remembered seeing him in the bus terminal back in Syracuse. He was real, Liam had no doubt about it. And the wooden box with the gorgeous ornaments. He'd touched it with his own hands, it had been soft yet solid. Surely he hadn't imagined that!

His heart began to thump louder as he searched his memory for details. Lester's life story… his football career… his wife… his son… He blinked a few times, trying his best to get his mind focussed but the thumping in his head returned with a vengeance and all he could do was put his head back on Lidia's shoulder and close his eyes.

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'You okay buddy?' Peter asked as he handed Neal one of his alcohol free beers.

He'd been keeping Neal company while he worked in the kitchen, making sure everything was ready for the Christmas feast.

'Yeah… of course I am. Just… thinking about Liam, that's all. He can be a big baby when he gets sick.'

'Well…' Peter said, checking his watch. 'The bus should be arriving any minute and the guys will have him here before you know it.'

In the end, Cam had offered to go along with Cody so Neal could finish getting things ready. They had no idea what state Liam was in and the thought of having to carry his two hundred pound boyfriend to the car had left Cody leery about heading out alone.

Peter picked a garlic stuffed olive from a dish on the table. 'Love these suckers' he said under his breath. Neal couldn't help but smile. Having Peter in his kitchen, snatching olives while they chatted… now if only Liam could get home, his world would be perfect.

Sara, Emily and Elizabeth wandered into the kitchen and headed straight for the punch bowl where Sara poured out glasses for each of them. A few feet away in the family room, Caitlin and Ed Powell were engaged in a fiercely disputed chess match.

Hope strolled in, holding her phone. 'The bus just got here. Cam says Liam's fine but he looks like he's been chewed up and spit back out.'

Neal looked at his daughter, always so colourful with her language.

She shrugged. 'Cam's words not mine' she said.

Sara let out a nice slow breath and Neal's shoulders relaxed. Their baby boy was on his way home and finally, they could all resume their lives.

'So?' Neal said, his heart suddenly lighter. 'Presents first, dinner after?'

'Yeah!' Hope said, like an excited five-year-old. Unbeknownst to her parents, she was more excited about the gift she'd be giving them than the other way around.

Raffie let out a feeble bark and ran to the front door mere seconds before the doorbell rang. Apparently, his doggie radar was working just fine and they had an unexpected Christmas visitor.

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'So, you're the famous Cody' Lidia said as she handed Liam over to his boyfriend.

'I don't know about famous but yeah…'

'Liam's been calling your name in his sleep all day.'

Liam wobbled as he stood there, a silly grin on his face at the sight of his boyfriend. Without a word, he stepped into Cody's open arms and put his head on his shoulder. With the two inches he had on him, he practically had to contort himself like a pretzel in order to curl up against his neck.

Cody kissed his forehead. 'He's still warm.'

'He's still running a fever but nothing compared to earlier. I just gave him a thousand milligrams of Tylenol Extra about fifteen minutes ago. That makes him sleepy. Make sure he gets plenty to drink and get him out of these clothes as soon as you can; they're soaked.'

She dropped her voice to a whisper. 'And he seems a bit confused' she added.

'I'm NOT confused' Liam said, throwing his arms around Cody's waist and tugging.

'He is' she mouthed silently.

'Say goodbye to Liam, Cody' she instructed as Cody Miller looked at her, confused.

'I'll tell you later' Liam murmured as he peeled himself away from Cody so he could hug his namesake.

'Bye buddy' he said, his words slurred. 'It was fun playing with you.'

Little Cody was hugging him tight when he heard his name being called from somewhere behind him.

A white-haired man stood a few feet away, arms open.

'Grampa!' the boy called out, running towards him.

'Take good care of yourself Liam' Lidia said, turning away to join her son.

Liam watched her go. 'Thanks Lidia' he called out but it was too late.

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Luckily, Cam drove because Liam wasn't about to let go of Cody anytime soon. He moaned and groaned and whimpered and complained in the back seat of Cam's old car, his arms tightly wound around Cody's waist and playing it up for all it was worth.

'Sore, baby?' Cody asked solicitously as he caressed his hair.

Liam nodded with a pout. '_Really really _sore.'

Cody made eye contact with Cam in the rearview mirror and rolled his eyes while Cam smiled back. Liam's colds and flus and fevers, even his hangnails were always worse than anybody else's.

'Did Hope open her Christmas book?' he asked with an exaggerated sigh.

'Of course not!' Cam replied, indignant. 'She would never do that.'

'Did you two… give Mom and Dad their present yet?'

Cody looked on, puzzled, not sure what Liam was talking about.

Cam turned and gave his brother-in-law a dirty look. 'Not yet.'

'Is Dad wearing his stupid Christmas socks?' he asked next.

'It's Christmas Day' Cameron replied. 'What do _you_ think?'

Liam smiled and tightened his grip around Cody's waist.

It sure was nice to be home.

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The woman stood on the Caffreys' doorstep with a frown on her face and a suitcase at her feet.

'Darlene!' Sara called out. She hadn't seen the woman in probably fifteen years but she still had that trademark red hair of hers and those amazing Powell dimples.

They hugged and Sara led her inside, back to the family room where all the action was taking place. Ed Powell was instantly on his feet.

'Honey bunny!' he called out as he rushed to meet her.

Her eyes went immediately to his forehead where he sported a large bandage. Underneath his left eye were the beginnings of a colourful bruise.

'Dad! What have you done to yourself?' she said, running her hand gently down his cheek.

They hugged tightly, both of them overcome with emotion. 'I'm so sorry Dad! Jim and I should never have left you alone.'

He shrugged, trying to make light of it. 'Are you kidding? Mickey and Minnie versus my bad impression of Daffy Duck… no contest.'

She smiled but Sara could see tears in her eyes. The chessboard sat abandoned on the coffee table, Caitlin seated on the other side.

'Dad, were you taking advantage of this poor innocent young woman?' Darlene asked before turning her attention to Caitlin. 'Did he happen to mention he was Westchester County chess champion for five years running?'

Caitlin rose to introduce himself. 'No fair Mr. Powell' she whined.

Darlene was relieved to see her dad in one piece but there was no denying the look of worry in her eyes. 'What do you say we leave these nice people to their dinner and I take you home and you and I can have a nice Christmas dinner together… just the two of us?' she said, lacing her arm in his.

Sara spoke up. 'No… please stay, we have plenty of food.'

Darlene and her dad exchanged knowing looks. 'That's really kind of you. But you've already done so much. And besides, I get a feeling Dad and I have some things we need to discuss.'

He nodded in agreement, eager to return to his own home. 'I do have a nice Christmas tree at home' he said, wagging his eyebrows.

There were hugs all around as holiday wishes were exchanged.

When Sara next looked up in the direction of the kitchen, Neal was already assembling a Christmas meal for them to take with them.

Complete with Estelle Powell's yorkshire pudding.

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The mystery of where Lester Jackson had disappeared to kept gnawing at Liam's subconscious. How could he be there one minute, then gone the next? People didn't just walk out into a blizzard in the middle of the night.

The cogs turned and turned until he was all puzzled out and he let sleep claim him in Cody's reassuring arms. They were about ten minutes from home when Cody finally felt his boyfriend's muscles start to relax, his grip loosening.

'He's in bad shape' he said as Cam drove on.

The streets were pristine and white, car exhaust fumes not having had time to sully the snow's purity. In short, a beautiful winter day.

'He just needs a few days to rest and he'll be back to being a pain in the ass in no time' Cam commented with a grin.

Cody hugged Liam's relaxed form and placed a kiss on his forehead. 'He's like a little kid, so sweet and angelic when he's asleep but a little hell raiser when he's awake.'

They both chuckled. Tremendous relief had superseded the constant worry Cody had been dealing with over the past few days. Having Liam home was all he wanted, he didn't care what state he was in. He'd be glad to nurse him back to health.

Liam mumbled something that sounded like 'Lester' and Cody sighed.

'It's okay babe, everything's gonna be fine.'

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As the amazing aromas of Christmas dinner filled the house, the whole family sat huddled around the tree in the living room, a glowing fire in the hearth. All but one of the gifts which had been placed under the tree were handed out by Neal who'd donned a Santa hat for the occasion. When it came to the last of the presents, destined for her folks, Hope insisted that the small package be kept until after the meal.

As it turned out, the dream Liam had had about his homecoming wasn't too far off the mark. Except for the fact that Caitlin did _not_ leave the last shortbread for him and that his dad did _not_ refer to him as the prodigal son, pretty well everything else was as he'd imagined. His mom doted on him fiercely, his sister was uncharacteristically kind and his uncle Mozzie loaded up a dinner plate so he could enjoy it from the couch in the living room buried under a mountain of warm blankets. A few feet away, everyone sat at the dining room table chatting, laughing and enjoying each others' company as Liam drifted in and out of sleep. Eyes closed but still marginally conscious, he heard his dad offer a toast to his Grandma Linda, recalling the Christmases they'd been lucky enough to share with her.

Liam nibbled at his food, his appetite not what it normally was. But everything tasted amazing and best of all, it was all homemade. He took a few bites then floated away before coming back to nibble some more. He was startled from an uneasy sleep by Cody who joined him on the couch as everyone gathered around the tree for coffee and dessert and that last mysterious gift.

Sara absentmindedly twirled the locket Neal had given her as a gift and El, always a good sport, had looped the scarf Peter had given her around her neck. Neal watched as she scratched the back of her ear; he'd brought down some hydrocortisone cream from the upstairs medicine cabinet just in case.

A huge plate of assorted desserts was placed on the coffee table as everyone picked at their favourites. Cam got to his feet to retrieve the last gift.

'Hope and I got you a little something special this year' he said, handing the wrapped gift to Sara. It was about the size of… a Chinese food container and she proceeded to begin unwrapping it, surprised to find… a Chinese food container.

'Did you think we'd run out of food?' Neal said with a chuckle.

Hope got up from her spot nearby and even though there really wasn't enough room on the love seat, she wriggled in between her parents, excitement vibrating through every pore of her body.

'It's something Cam and I _made_ for you' she said as her parents stared at the package.

'Okay' Neal said, expressionless. It was all a mystery to him.

Sara pulled the lid open and peeked inside. Six oversized fortune cookies stared back at her.

'Wow!' she said deadpan. 'Just what I need after my two thousand calorie meal.'

'Open this one first' Hope pointed.

Except for the crackling fire, the room grew quiet. Whatever this was, it had special significance - at least for Hope and Cam. Liam glanced over at his sister and winked. His head complained.

The first fortune cookie crumbled as Sara cracked it open and she took a small bite. 'Yum!' she said with an exaggerated tummy rub.

The tiny piece of paper tumbled onto her open palm and Neal reached over and took it from her. He opened it with a sigh of relief; the handwriting was large enough for him to read without his glasses.

'Read it out loud Dad!' Hope called out, a huge smile on her face.

**'****To the couple who has everything. Mom and Dad, this year we got you something special for Christmas'**

'Your turn Mom' Hope said, pointing to the cookie that had been marked with a tiny number two.

**'****Something you've never gotten before' **Sara read as everyone leaned in, increasingly intrigued.

Sara passed the container back over to Neal who reached in for the third one. He read it out loud to the whole group. This time he seemed to hesitate as the pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place.

**'****You can't really see it right now'**

Sara swallowed hard and gasped. Cam got up and moved to stand behind his wife and his in-laws, laying his hands reassuringly on Hope's shoulders. Considering the conversation they'd had that morning, Neal was starting to get a clue. When he once again passed the tiny bucket to Sara, she shook her head, silently asking him to continue. This time, his voice was shaky as he spoke.

**'****But it will grow over the next seven and a half months' **

The group grew restless and Elizabeth whispered something in Peter's ear. Mozzie, meanwhile, looked a little lost. He hadn't really been paying that much attention.

'What?' he asked as Neal reached in for the second to last cookie. He could see Neal's face was flushed and Sara wasn't even trying to hide her tears.

**'****And next Christmas you'll be able to hold it in your arms'**

'Oh my God!' Sara cried out as she turned to look at her daughter.

Neal's jaw dropped and he too was getting tears in his eyes. Emily who was close by, reached in for the last cookie as cheers erupted.

**'****Merry Christmas Mom and Dad.**

**Love, Hope, Cam and baby Armstrong'**

Liam who'd been fighting to stay awake let out a loud whoop - as much as he could manage with his aching throat and every one got to their feet, hugging the future parents as Hope glowed, relieved to finally have things out in open.

'I knew it!' Sara said as she hugged her daughter. 'It's the bacon, isn't it? It made you sick.'

'It's awful Mom!' Hope replied. 'Just awful.'

'I know' Sara said, commiserating.

Neal was beyond overwhelmed, his excitement manifesting itself with tears and a giant lump in his throat.

'Sweet pea…' he kept repeating as he hugged his daughter. He turned to shake hands with Cam but it appeared a handshake just wouldn't do on an occasion such as this. He reached out and pulled him into a bear hug, refusing to let go.

Everybody was hugging everyone as craziness erupted. This Christmas would long be remembered as one of the finest ones the family had ever had.

TBC


	13. Chapter 13

**Epilogue**

On Boxing Day at around three in the afternoon, there came a knock at the door. Sara opened it to find Darlene Cunningham standing there holding a huge bouquet of Christmas flowers.

'I wanted to stop by and thank you again for all you did for my father' she explained. 'Who knows what might have happened to him if you hadn't shown up when you did.'

Neal poked his head from the kitchen and made his way to join his wife. The two of them stood in the doorway, holding onto to each other to ward off the chill.

'I also wanted you to be the first to know that Dad is putting the house up for sale and I'm bringing him out west to live with us.'

The couple nodded; not terribly surprised. In life, there came a time when everybody needed a little extra help and Ed Powell had apparently reached that point.

'That sounds great' Sara said.

'The warmer weather will do him good' Neal agreed.

'Well, thank you again' she said, her voice full of emotion. She turned to leave just as Caitlin came running out, carrying a small box. 'Mr. Powell forgot this when he left yesterday' she explained, handing it over to the man's daughter. 'Would you make sure he gets it?'

Neal and Sara looked at their foster daughter, mystified.

'What was that all about?' Sara asked once Darlene had left.

'Just a little something between me and Mr. Powell… nothing for the two of you to worry about' she said mysteriously. She turned on her heels and walked away, leaving them guessing.

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The mystery surrounding Lester Jackson continued to plague Liam well into Boxing Day. Although his temperature had begun to return to normal, not unlike a newborn baby, he was still sleeping most of the time. His dreams remained bizarre, some might say outlandish with Lester playing the starring role in most of them. Cody had tried in vain to convince him that the man he'd 'met' had simply been a figment of his imagination. Perhaps in the spirit of the holidays, Liam had conjured up a sweet, kind soul who lived to be of service to others.

Liam still wasn't convinced. For one thing, the details were all so vivid, from the sound of Lester's deep voice to the feel of the wood under his fingertips to the shiny ornaments hidden inside the box.

When Cody showed up mid-afternoon, Liam was sitting up in bed sipping some chicken noodle soup his mom had heated up for him. His appetite seemed to be returning little by little.

'Let's go downstairs' he suggested. 'I'm getting tired of lying in this bed.'

With a little help, he made it down to the main floor, leaning a little more than necessary against Cody's body and enjoying the feel of it against him.

'Movie?' Cody asked as they made their way to the family room.

Sara walked by, carrying a basket of laundry. 'Honey, do you have any dirty laundry for me?' she asked her son.

He opened his backpack which had been abandoned near the front door and began rummaging through, throwing things into the basket as it began to fill up.

'Leave the rest there' Sara instructed. 'I'll put it in with the next load.'

Cody, meanwhile, continued rummaging through the Caffreys' collection of DVD's, looking for the traditional favourite he and Liam watched every year.

'Where the hell is it?' he mumbled as he kept searching, finally stumbling onto 'Die Hard' and pulling it out triumphantly.

When he turned to look at Liam, he found him dumbstruck, staring at something in his hands.

'What's wrong?' he asked, sitting next to him and spying a small envelope as well as an off-white velvet pouch in his hands. 'What is it?'

Liam remained speechless, slipping a card out the envelope. It depicted a Christmas tree, the very one Lester had carved into his wooden treasure box. He opened it slowly, unsure what to expect.

_Dear Liam, I truly enjoyed meeting you. You are a kind and gentle soul. Like so many of us, you've been blessed. Always remember to pay it forward. _

Liam stared at the familiar looking cream coloured pouch, his hands shaking. Hesitantly, he reached for the tassel and loosened it, watching in wonder as something bright and shiny tumbled out onto his hand just as it had two nights before.

An angel, perfectly crafted. And a single word, a life lesson.

Gratitude

La fin


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